TREASURY

Economic Growth (Shropshire)

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of economic growth in Shropshire in 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The ONS has not yet published economic growth figures for local authorities for 2004–05. However, the latest figures show the West Midlands was the second fastest growing region in the UK between 2003–04 after the North East, and that between 1997 and 2003 the Shropshire economy has grown by 37 per cent. Unemployment levels are also close to record lows, and the employment rate well above the national average of 74.3 per cent.

Welfare to Work Policies

Tom Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the economic effects of the welfare to work policies.

Dawn Primarolo: Since 1998, the new deal has helped over 1.6 million people into work, including 630,000 young people, 250,000 unemployed adults, and 500,000 lone parents. New deal for disabled people and pathways to work have now helped over 120,000 incapacity benefit claimants into work. Independent research has shown the effectiveness of welfare to work policies, with the new deal for young people alone having estimated benefits to the economy of up to £500 million a year, and each additional job achieved through new deal for lone parents resulting in an economic gain to society of £4,400.

Employment (Northern Region)

Neil Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to achieve full employment in the three northern regions.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government's measure to achieve full employment in the three northern regions are built on a platform of macro-economic stability, continued investment in the new deal, investment in skills and training, and policies to make work pay. These policies have led to near record levels of employment in those regions.

Unemployment

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of the change in unemployment since 1997.

John Healey: In 1997, unemployment was over 2 million. Since then employment has risen by more than 2.3 million and unemployment has fallen by over half a million. Unemployment is now close to record lows last seen in the 1970s and it has also fallen in every region and country in the UK.

Pensioner Household Incomes

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to increase pensioner household incomes.

Ivan Lewis: This Government believe that a fair society guarantees security in old age and ensures that all pensioners can share in rising national prosperity and continue to play an active part in society.
	Government measure have increased pensioner income directly through the basic state pension, pension credit, winter fuel payments and through additional age-related payments to help pensioners with council tax and other living expenses. The incomes of pensioner households have also been improved indirectly through reductions in the cost of public services such as free local area bus travel, prescriptions and eye tests for those over 65, and free TV licences for those over the age of 75.
	Personal tax and benefit changes mean that the average pensioner household will be £26 a week better off in 2006–07. The poorest 10 per cent. of pensioners will be £42 a week better off in 2006–07 than they would have been under the 1997 system.

Tonnage Tax

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Transport on the review of the tonnage tax.

Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor of the Exchequer does from time-to-time hold meetings with the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss a range of subjects.

Tax Credits

David Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on levels of overpayment of tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government receive a number of representations on tax credits, including the level of overpayments. The pre-Budget report included a package of measures to make the tax credits system work better for families, providing more certainty over their tax credits award, while maintaining flexibility to respond to falls in income and changes in circumstances. These changes should contribute towards a reduction in the level of overpayments.

Tax Credits

Quentin Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost to public funds of errors in the tax credit system.

Dawn Primarolo: Costs to public funds arising from errors in the tax credit system are included in HMRC's accounts, and losses and write-offs are specifically disclosed. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Department's latest published accounts, available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/annual_reps.htm and, in particular, part two of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on those accounts.

Tax Credits

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Northern Ireland have been awarded tax credits who had income of (a) £10,000 to £19,999, (b) £20,000 to £29,999, (c) £30,000 to £39,999 and (d) £40,000 to £50,000.

Dawn Primarolo: Final income data are currently available only for 2003–04. Table 2.9 of Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised awards. 2003–04" shows the average, taken over 2003–04, of the number of in-work families in each band of income used to calculate tax credit entitlement and with positive finalised 2003–04 awards. This document can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-annual-0304.pdf. The figures for Northern Ireland appear in the following table:
	
		Thousand
		
			   Income level Average number of in-work families in Northern Ireland in each band of income 
		
		
			 Under £10,000 40 
			 £10,000 to £19,999 32 
			 £20,000 to £29,999 31 
			 £30,000 to £39,999 21 
			 £40,000 to £50,000 10 
			 Over £50,000 3 
			 Total 137 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are based on a sample of cases, and subject to sampling uncertainty. Some families were not required to report their 2003–04 incomes unless it could make a difference to the value of their award. Others failed to report these incomes. All families not reporting 2003–04 incomes appear in the table according to their 2001–02 incomes.

Gershon Review

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress on the implementation of the Gershon review of public sector efficiency.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate earlier today.

Child Benefit

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims were made for child benefit after the death of (a) a child and (b) a newly born child in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2005, about 3,300 child benefit claims were reduced or stopped following the death of a child. No figures are readily available of which such claims were received after the death, or which such children were newly born.

Child Trust Fund

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to encourage greater take-up of Child Trust Fund vouchers by those parents who have not done so to date.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on the floor of the House earlier today to the hon. Member for Livingston.

Debt Relief

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on 100 per cent. bilateral and 100 per cent. multilateral debt relief for the poorest countries.

Betty Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with international Finance Ministers on tackling world debt.

Ivan Lewis: At the G8 meeting in Moscow Finance Ministers called for full implementation of commitments made on the multilateral debt relief initiative, aid effectiveness, and increasing resources for development. They supported the decision by the IMF Board to implement 100 per cent. debt relief for 19 countries and encouraged the World Bank and African Development Bank to finalize urgently all necessary steps for implementation.
	Russia also announced that it will be providing 100 per cent. debt relief to the heavily indebted poor countries. With this step forward the G8 are now all providing additional debt cancellation on the bilateral debts of HIPCs.
	The UK has also proposed going further than the existing list of HIPC countries to extend relief to all low-income countries that can use the debt service savings effectively for poverty reduction. The UK is paying 10 per cent. of the share of the debt interest payments of the eligible non- HIPC countries.

Green Taxes

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of tax income came from green taxes in (a) 1997 and (b) 2005.

John Healey: The information requested on the green taxes (landfill tax, Climate Change Levy and Aggregates Levy) is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Environmental taxes(1) as percentage of net taxes and social security contributions 
		
		
			 1997–98 0.12 
			 2004–05 0.41 
			 2005–06 (projected) 0.41 
		
	
	(1) Landfill tax, climate change levy and aggregates levy cash receipts
	Source:
	HM Revenue and Customs

Income Statistics

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the income per head in the Peterborough constituency was in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the mean and median of total income by constituency can be found in table 3.15 Total Income by Parliamentary Constituency" on the HM Revenue and Customs internet website. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#315.
	The information is available only for 2002–03 and 2003–04.

Inheritance Tax

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residents in the Peterborough constituency paid inheritance tax in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Figures for estates paying inheritance tax are not available at local levels.

Office for National Statistics

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to ensure that the Register for Births, Marriages and Deaths will not suffer from inaccuracies as a result of the Office for National Statistics' decision to move it to India.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 2 March 2006
	As Registrar General, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the steps taken to ensure that the Register for Births, Marriage and Deaths will not suffer from inaccuracies as a result of work being undertaken in India. (54796)
	The Office for National Statistics has entered a contract with Siemens Business Services to digitise records for birth, marriage and death information held by the Registrar General for purposes of producing certified copies of the entry on request.
	The records that are going to be digitised are copies of the birth, marriage and death records held by the Registrar General for England and Wales at the General Register Office. The original records, which are the entries in registers held locally around the country at register offices, are not being sent to India.
	Information in civil registration records is accessible by any person within the legal frame work that governs the issue of certified copies of entries in birth, marriage and death registers (certificates). Digitisation of these records will not change the position. Access will continue to only be via certificates.
	The Registrar General is sent a certified copy of all entries made in registers of live-births, still-births, marriages and deaths. These form the central archive of civil registration records in England and Wales and for many years have been microfilmed by the Registrar General for the purposes of producing certificates on request. A digital image will be created in the UK from these microfilmed records. These images will be encrypted to ensure they cannot be accessed illegally and sent electronically to India.
	Some fields will be data-captured by operators based in India, fully supported by sophisticated computer techniques including character recognition software and look up tables of English and Welsh names and place names.
	There will be strict security and audit controls built into the process including physical security of data and vetting of staff. Once these fields and images have been subjected to rigorous data quality and validation checks, the images and data will be returned to the UK for further validation and quality assurance before acceptance testing is undertaken by General Register Office staff based in Southport. Once the General Register Office has accepted the digitised records, all images and data records held on off-shore computers will be deleted. The size of the contract to carry out the digitisation of these records required the Registrar General to follow rules governing public procurement in the European Union and therefore advertise for tenders via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). We have ensured that an open and competitive tender was carried out where the short-listed suppliers were selected after a transparent and thorough evaluation. The OJEU process does not allow for the General Register Office to restrict contract work to be carried out only in the UK.
	The General Register Office will continue to issue certificates and therefore staff will continue to be employed to carry out this work. The digitisation of civil registration records will enable certificates to be supplied more efficiently and provide improved services for customers.

Population (West Lancashire)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the most recent population figures provided by the Office for National Statistics for West Lancashire.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 27 February 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question about what assessment of the accuracy of the most recent population figures provided by the Office for National Statistics has been made for West Lancashire. (52777)
	Population estimates are calculated using an internationally respected methodology. Further information can be found in the detailed methodology guide Making a population estimate in England and Wales'. This is published here: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product,asp?vlnk=575
	It is becoming increasingly difficult to estimate the size of the population because of changes in society, which include increased mobility and different living arrangements. The decennial Census provides a benchmark against which national and sub-national population estimates can be assessed. Substantial work has been done on the difference between mid-year population estimates and the 2001 Census. This work is summarised in the final report of the 2004 Local Authority Population Studies, which can be found here: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/LAStudy_FullReport.pdf
	These studies confirmed that the 2001 Census had worked well in most areas, including West Lancashire, but there were a few cases where the adjustment for under-enumeration was not able to adjust sufficiently for exceptional circumstances. This work, together with revised international migration estimates, accounted for a large proportion of the initial 1.1 million difference between mid year estimates and the Census; reducing the difference to a little over 0.2 million
	In addition, extensive annual quality assurance is undertaken in order to ensure the accuracy of the annual mid-year estimates. Quality assurance starts with detailed checking of the source data used in the components of change (birth, deaths, etc.). Procedures are then in place to ensure that these data sources are correctly processed when deriving the estimates. The calculated national and sub-national estimates, for all 376 local authorities in England and Wales, are then subject to a further set of quality assurance procedures before they are published. These procedures include reviews of sex ratios and age profiles, comparisons of change over time, and comparisons of fertility and mortality rates. Substantial effort has already been undertaken, in recent years, to improve the quality assurance of population estimates.
	ONS is also now investing substantially in a project to Improve Migration and Population Statistics (IMPS). (More information on this project can be found at: www-statistics.gov.uk/IMPS). The key aims of this project are to reduce the size of the difference between the 2011 Census results and the mid-year estimates and to better understand any difference that does remain. As part of this project, we are developing a data comparator tool to enable us to compare the annual mid-year estimates against a range of administrative sources. This work is ongoing and the results will inform our understanding of the accuracy of the mid-year population estimates. The tool was trialled in the mid-2004 population estimates, which were published in August 2005.
	Another strand of the IMPS project is a review of the quality assurance procedures that are currently in place for population estimates. One of the aims of this review is to assess what improvements can be made to existing procedures, and determine whether additional quality assurance is required.
	ONS also produces population projections for each local authority area. The methodology used in the production of the subnational population projections is an established and recognised methodology. Subnational population projections undergo extensive quality assurance before publication. In addition, local authorities and health authorities are consulted on the first year of migration assumptions used as the baseline trend for migration.
	Population estimates and projections are supplied to the QDPM, I understand that ODPM make checks to ensure that the data as provided by the ONS have been correctly entered into their calculations for allocating Formula Grant to local authorities. Otherwise, they do not make any assessment of accuracy of the data supplied, as this responsibility lies with the ONS.

Public Sector Pensions

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate total public sector pension liabilities on the basis of discount rates of (a) inflation plus 3.5 per cent., (b) inflation plus 2.8 per cent., (c) the yield on AA-rated corporate bonds and (d) the yield on long-term government debt.

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates the unfunded public service pension liability to have been at 31 March 2005.

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the aggregate net present value of public sector pension liabilities is, using a discount rate equivalent to the current yield on long-dated indexed linked Government debt at 31 January 2006; and what the estimated value of funds accumulated under funded schemes was at 31 January 2006.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on the Floor of the House earlier today to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne).

Tax Yield (Businesses)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the taxation yield from (a) small and medium sized businesses, (b) large businesses and (c) business taxes in total in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Figures for corporation tax payable by companies are provided in Table T11.3 of HM Revenue and Customs Statistics, published on the internet. The latest table includes information for each tax year between 1997–98 and 2003–04 (see link): http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/11_3_oct05.pdf.
	A breakdown between small and medium sized and large businesses is not available; however, the table does provide a breakdown of profits chargeable to corporation tax at the main rate and at the small companies' rate.

Taxpayers

Alan Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers there were in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1992–93.

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated number of income taxpayers by country can be found on National Statistics table 2.2 'Number of income taxpayers, by country' on HM Revenue and Customs' website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2–2.xls.

Taxpayers

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Milton Keynes paid (a) income tax and (b) the top rate of income tax in each of the last eight years.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of taxpayers by unitary authority and by constituency can be found in tables 3.14 Total income by borough and district or unitary authority" and 3.15 Total Income by Parliamentary Constituency" on the HM Revenue and Customs internet website. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#315.
	Information on the number of taxpayers by unitary authority is available for the years 1999–2000 to 2003–04 while similar information by constituency is available for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04 only.
	A breakdown by tax bands is not available because the sample sizes for marginal rates at these levels of geography are very small and demonstrate a large variability year on year.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1398W, on the Valuation Office Agency, how many full-time equivalent staff (a) are employed by the agency and (b) were employed in each year since 1997–98.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 11 November 2005, Official Report, column 777W. As at 1 February 2006 the Valuation Office Agency employed 4,918 staff.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has access to data held within the National Land and Property Gazetteer.

Dawn Primarolo: Yes.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Prime Minister whether any (a) employee of his office, (b) person engaged by his office as a consultant and (c) paid adviser is a member of the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 51W.

TRANSPORT

Railway Crime Incidents (Swansea)

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway crime incidents were reported to the British Transport Police in the Swansea area in 200405; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: There were 402 notifiable and 435 non-notifiable offences recorded by the British Transport Police (BTP) within the area covered by BTP's Swansea police station during the financial year 200405.

Railway Track

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of railway track have been replaced in each of the past 20 years; what the average age was of the replaced track; and what proportion of the rail network the replacement track represented.

Derek Twigg: This is an operational matter for Network Rail and I have asked them to reply directly to the hon. Member.

Violent Offences (Public Transport)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1467W, on violence against passengers, how many victims of (a) wounding, (b) robbery, (c) harassment, (d) common assault, (e) sexual offences and (f) murder were recorded by the British Transport Police in each year since 199899.

Derek Twigg: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Wounding 207 217 193 212 222 231 263 
			 Robbery 2,209 2,456 2,700 3,408 2,304 2,590 2,081 
			 Harassment 1,675 1,671 1,889 1,964 2,391 3,175 4,112 
			 Common Assault 2,571 3,020 3,048 3,066 3,609 3,935 4,140 
			 Sexual Offences 1,214 1,113 1,040 1,054 1,032 1,156 1,245 
			 Murder 3 4 4 3 2 1 3 
		
	
	The Home Office introduced a National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) that all police forces across England and Wales were required to adopt from 1 April 2002. The NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of recorded crimes by an average of 22 per cent. in all forces in England and Wales. BTP adopted this standard on 1 April 2002. The principle of NCRS is that if, on the balance of probability, a crime has been committed it is recorded as a crime. The standard has made crime recording more victim-focused.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

National Farmers Union

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many private meetings Ministers in her Department have had with the National Farmers Union in the last three years; and what the date was of each such meetings.

Jim Knight: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Ministers in this Department meet external stakeholders, including the NFU, regularly as business warrants.

Water Leakage

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage the water companies to reduce leakage in the water infrastructure.

Elliot Morley: Water companies are under a duty to develop and maintain an efficient and economical system of water supply. Since 1996 Ofwat has assessed water company performance against leakage targets that balance the needs of customers and the environment. This approach has resulted in a reduction in leakage of around 29 per cent. since its peak in 199495. Most water companies are now at their economic level of leakage which is the level of leakage at which it would cost more to make further reductions than to produce water from another source.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Ministerial Visits

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what official business she undertook on her new year visit to Tunisia.

Tessa Jowell: None.

Voluntary Organisations (Compact Agreements)

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with which voluntary organisations her Department has a formal national Compact agreement.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Paul Goggins) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 107W.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Care Provision

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places have closed in each year since 1980, broken down by type.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 15 February 2006
	We are unable to provide figures for annual closures of childcare places for the period prior to 1998, and cannot provide details of closures of places with child minders for years prior to 2001.
	The numbers of places closing each year from 1998 onwards are as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Full daycare Out of school Child minder 
		
		
			 19992000 35,513 25,852 n/a 
			 200001 39,056 38,319 n/a 
			 200102 7,556 12,967 36,454 
			 200203 12,130 23,905 62,210 
			 200304 7,627 18,490 33,437 
			 200405 65,577 72,222 62,972 
		
	
	The net increase in the stock of each of these types of child care between 1999/2000 and 2004/05 is 253,775 full daycare places, 215,439 out of school places and 11,163 child minder places.

Children's Information Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects the remit of the Children's Information Services to be extended to provide information for parents of children up to of age 19 years.

Beverley Hughes: Clause 12 of the Childcare Bill, currently before Parliament, would place an extended duty on English local authorities to provide information on services, facilities or publications which may be of benefit to parents, prospective parents, children and young persons in their area. Children and young persons include all persons up to their 20th birthday. The Bill builds on the current duty in section 118A of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, as amended by section 149 of the 2002 Education Act, to provide information on the provision of child care and related services. Authorities fulfil the duty by running children's information services (CISs). Many CISs are already making good progress in extending their services. We will encourage local authorities to move towards ensuring their information services provide the facilities envisaged in the Bill, so that, subject to parliamentary approval, the full service is ready when the duty comes into force, which is planned for April 2008.

Children's Information Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the draft guidance on information sharing for all practitioners who work with children, young people and families.

Beverley Hughes: Consultation on the draft cross-Government information sharing guidance for practitioners working with children, young people and families ran from 23 August to 15 November 2005. A total of 257 responses was received from a wide range of statutory and voluntary bodies and professional and representative organisations. We also consulted with children and young people themselves. We are now refining the guidance in the light of comments we have received and intend to publish the revised guidance in the spring.

Lifelong Learning

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in introducing a new accountability system for (a) funding, (b) planning, (c) monitoring, (d) audit and (e) inspection arrangements for (i) colleges and (ii) other educational providers in the lifelong learning sector.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has a statutory responsibility to plan and fund high quality education and training to deliver Government's priorities and targets for post-16 learning and skills. The LSC's agenda for change published in August 2005 set out proposals for a programme of radical transformation in response to the challenge of developing an effective, efficient and dynamic learning and skills sector. Their proposals, including those for simplifying funding and streamlining data collection and monitoring, have been well received by colleges and other providers in the sector. We have made significant progress by reducing the audit burden on colleges through abolishing the detailed end-year funding claim and reconciliation for most institutions. In addition, the inspectorates introduced a lighter touch inspection regime last year which will further reduce bureaucracy for providers. Building on Success for All and responding to the challenges set out by Sir Andrew Foster in Realising the Potential the Government will soon be publishing their own proposals for reforming the sector.

National Service Framework

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the implementation of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services.

Beverley Hughes: The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services is a key element for delivering the Government's Every Child Matters agenda. It will help to deliver the five outcomes: being healthy and staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well being. The NSF is a 10-year programme and by 2014 we expect health, social care and education services to have met the standards set out in it.

Procurement Policy

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she has taken to improve procurement in the children, young people and families sector; and what savings have been made as a consequence.

Beverley Hughes: This Government are committed to improving efficiency and value for money in education and has taken a number of steps to achieve this in the children young people and families sector, including:
	Identifying best practice in children's services commissioning
	Working in partnership with Regional Centres of Excellence on areas of joint interest
	Developing interactive guidance on best practice in procurement.
	We will be measuring efficiency gains from a range of specific initiatives which contribute to our Gershon efficiency target, including those in the children, young people and families sector. These are set out in our Efficiency Technical Note at www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/docs/DfES%20Efficiency%20Technical%20Note.doc. In most cases, the gains are recyclable at the frontline into other activities rather than being clawed back by the Department. The Department is reporting progress towards our overall efficiency target through existing departmental reporting processes. We reported progress towards our target in the Department's Autumn Performance Report and will report further progress in the Departmental Annual Report which we expect to publish in April.

Student Bankruptcies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate students declared themselves bankrupt in London in 2005.

Bill Rammell: 48 borrowers with publicly owned student loans, whose awarding local authority is in London, have so far informed the Student Loans Company that they became bankrupt in calendar year 2005. There may be delays between borrowers becoming bankrupt and notifying the Student Loans Company, therefore this figure could increase in future.
	Figures separately identifying borrowers who took out loans as undergraduates from those who took out loans to fund postgraduate initial teacher training courses, are not available.
	The Higher Education Act 2004 included provisions to prevent student loans being written off on discharge from bankruptcy. However bankrupt borrowers continue to benefit from the same non-commercial loan terms as other borrowers, with subsidised interest rates and no obligation to repay if their annual income is below 15,000.

Sure Start

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of changes in the Foundation Stage Profile results for Sure Start Local Programme areas in the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: At the end of each school year (beginning in 2003) my Department collects the Foundation Stage Profile results from each of the 150 English local authorities. Using postcode data we identify the results of those children living in Sure Start Local Programme Areas.
	Overall national summary data for FSP was first published in 2003 as 'Experimental Statistics' and in 2004 as 'National Statistics'. However, a background of ongoing improvements to teacher assessment and moderation make it very difficult to draw meaningful statistical judgements about the progress made in Sure Start areas in the last three years. The dataset for 2005 is not strictly comparable with the results in earlier years. My Department considers that the 2005 figures represent the most robust baseline against which progress in Sure Start areas can be effectively monitored. The figures for 2005 are shown in the tables.
	
		Percentage of children achieving each scale score in the 13 assessment scales of the Foundation Stage Profile in all areas in England(2), 2005
		
			  Number of points achieved (percentage)(3) 
			 All children 0(4) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
		
		
			 PSE: DA 0 0 0 1 2 7 11 20 
			 PSE: SD 0 0 1 3 4 9 21 15 
			 PSE: ED 0 1 2 3 5 8 11 17 
			 CLL: LCT 0 1 2 3 5 8 16 19 
			 CLL: LSL 1 2 4 10 10 11 12 18 
			 CLL: R 0 1 3 3 8 13 15 20 
			 CLL: W 1 3 5 8 10 14 16 16 
			 MAT: NLC 0 1 1 2 4 5 6 29 
			 MAT: C 1 2 4 5 7 9 13 22 
			 MAT: SSM 1 1 2 3 4 7 13 28 
			 KUW 0 1 2 3 5 8 13 20 
			 PD 0 0 1 2 2 4 9 21 
			 CD 0 1 1 2 4 10 16 22 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of points achieved (percentage)(3) 
			 All children 8 9 13(5) 47(6) 89(7) Number (thousand) Six or more(8) 
		
		
			 PSE: DA 36 23 2 39 59 553.9 90 
			 PSE: SD 26 21 4 49 47 553.8 83 
			 PSE: ED 33 19 6 42 52 553.9 81 
			 CLL: LCT 29 18 6 47 47 553.8 81 
			 CLL: LSL 16 17 16 50 33 553.6 63 
			 CLL: R 24 12 7 56 36 553.8 72 
			 CLL: W 20 9 15 56 29 553.7 61 
			 MAT: NLC 28 24 3 44 52 553.8 87 
			 MAT: C 26 11 10 51 38 553.5 73 
			 MAT: SSM 27 16 5 51 43 553.7 84 
			 KUW 39 8 6 47 47 553.8 81 
			 PD 43 18 3 37 60 553.8 90 
			 CD 33 11 3 53 43 553.8 81 
		
	
	
		Percentage of children achieving each scale score in the 13 assessment scale of the Foundation Stage Profile in Sure Start areas in England(2), 2005
		
			  Number of points achieved (percentage)(3) 
			 All children 0(4) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
		
		
			 PSE: DA 0 0 1 1 3 9 13 21 
			 PSE: SD 0 0 1 4 6 12 25 15 
			 PSE: ED 0 2 3 4 7 11 13 18 
			 CLL: LCT 1 1 3 4 7 11 18 18 
			 CLL: LSL 1 4 6 14 12 12 12 16 
			 CLL: R 0 2 4 6 11 16 17 19 
			 CLL: W 1 4 7 11 12 15 16 14 
			 MAT: NLC 1 1 2 3 5 7 8 31 
			 MAT: C 2 2 7 7 9 12 14 20 
			 MAT: SSM 1 2 3 4 6 9 16 27 
			 KUW 0 2 3 6 8 11 15 20 
			 PD 0 1 1 2 4 6 11 25 
			 CD 1 1 2 3 7 14 18 22 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of points achieved (percentage)(3) 
			 All children 8 9 13(5) 47(6) 89(7) Number (thousand) Six or more(8) 
		
		
			 PSE: DA 34 17 2 46 51 84.1 85 
			 PSE: SD 21 15 5 58 37 84.1 76 
			 PSE: ED 28 14 8 49 42 84.1 73 
			 CLL: LCT 24 13 9 53 37 84.1 73 
			 CLL: LSL 12 11 24 52 23 84.0 51 
			 CLL: R 17 7 11 63 25 84.1 61 
			 CLL: W 15 6 22 57 20 84.1 51 
			 MAT: NLC 24 18 6 52 42 84.1 81 
			 MAT: C 20 7 16 55 28 84.0 62 
			 MAT: SSM 22 11 8 58 33 84.0 76 
			 KUW 31 5 10 54 36 84.1 71 
			 PD 37 13 4 46 50 84.1 86 
			 CD 25 7 6 61 33 84.1 73 
		
	
	(2) Aggregation of LEA level results.
	(3) The number of points achieved does not necessarily represent a straight progression through the scale. For example, 11 per cent. of children in all areas achieved 6 points in PSE: DA. This does not mean that they have necessarily achieved all the points from 16 as it is possible they could have achieved, for example, point 7 but not point 3.
	(4) A scale score of 0 indicates where it has not been possible to record an assessment.
	(5) A scale score of 13 indicates working towards the Early Learning Goals.
	(6) A scale score of 47 indicates working within the Early Learning Goals.
	(7) A scale score of 89 indicates achieving all of, or working beyond the Early Learning Goals.
	(8) A scale score of 6 or more indicates working securely within the Early Learning Goals.
	Key:
	PSE: DAPersonal, social and emotional development: Dispositions and attitudes
	PSE: SDPersonal, social and emotional development: Social development
	PSE: EDPersonal, social and emotional development: Emotional development
	CLL: LCTCommunication, language and literacy: Language for communication and thinking
	CLL: LSLCommunication, language and literacy: Linking sounds and letters
	CLL: RCommunication, language and literacy: Reading
	CLL: WCommunication, language and literacy: Writing
	MAT: NLCMathematical development: Numbers as labels for counting
	MAT: CMathematical development: Calculating
	MAT: SSMMathematical development: Shape, space and measures
	KUWKnowledge and understanding of the world
	PDPhysical development
	CDCreative development
	Source:
	FSP aggregate dataset
	Our assessment of the available results shows that national movements in attainment over the last three years have also been reflected in Sure Start areas. There does however continue to be a gap in achievement between areas of disadvantage and the national average and this is why 538 million has been made available for capital investment and 487 million for revenue investment in children's centres services, focussing on the most deprived areas.
	The final figures on the Foundation Stage Profile in England were published in Statistical First Release 03/2006 Foundation Stage Profile 2005: National Results (Final) on February 16, a copy of which is available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Sure Start

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the management costs imposed by local authorities for the administration of Sure Start.

Beverley Hughes: From April 2006 revenue funding for Sure Start local programmes will be paid through local authorities as part of the General Sure Start Grant instead of to the individual local programmes as at present. These new arrangements will allow authorities to make savings on administration costs.

University Places

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of university places in England have been taken up by pupils from each (a) socioeconomic class and (b) income decile in each year since 197879.

Bill Rammell: The available figures on the social background of students obtaining places on full-time undergraduate courses in the UK are shown in the following tables; information on the family income of these students is not held centrally. The figures are limited to students who applied to full-time undergraduate courses via the various application organisations, and they do not therefore cover part-time students nor those full-time students who apply directly to higher education institutions.
	Since 1994, figures have been published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). In previous years, figures were published separately by the Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA), which covered applicants to universities funded by the Universities Funding Council (UGC), and the Polytechnics Central Admissions System (PCAS), which covered the polytechnics and higher education colleges. UCAS, UCCA and PCAS all published figures for institutions in the UK, and PCAS did not collect details of social background prior to 1991.
	
		Accepted applicants to universities in the UK by social class
		
			  1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 
		
		
			 Total accepted students 78,939 74,514 72,634 69,631 71,768 
			 of which, percentage from(9):  
			 I Professional 22.6 24.9 24.2 23.6 22.3 
			 II Intermediate 47.3 49.5 49.4 49.0 48.6 
			 IIIN Skilled non-manual 10.7 8.5 8.9 8.7 10.0 
			 IIIM Skilled manual 14.2 12.3 12.3 11.9 12.0 
			 Partly skilled 4.2 3.9 4.3 5.7 6.0 
			 Unskilled 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
		
	
	
		
			  1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 
		
		
			 Total accepted students 76,181 76,896 78,344 80,496 87,013 
			 of which, percentage from(9):  
			 I Professional 21.0 20.4 20.3 21.0 20.7 
			 II Intermediate 48.1 48.2 48.0 48.1 49.2 
			 IIIN Skilled non-manual 10.4 10.7 11.1 11.0 10.9 
			 IIIM Skilled manual 12.7 12.5 12.9 12.5 12.1 
			 Partly skilled 6.6 6.9 6.6 6.3 6.1 
			 Unskilled 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 
		
	
	
		
			  1990 1991 1992 1993 
		
		
			 Total accepted students 99,377 106,717 117,976 127,476 
			 of which, percentage from(9):   
			 I Professional 19.6 19.3 21.1 20.3 
			 II Intermediate 50.1 50.0 45.7 45.5 
			 IIIN Skilled non-manual 11.0 11.4 11.8 11.9 
			 IIIM Skilled manual 11.9 11.9 13.7 14.6 
			 Partly skilled 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 
			 Unskilled 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.4 
		
	
	(9) Proportions are based on students who provided details of their background, and exclude non-respondents. Between 1980 and 1982, the social class distribution was based on a 10 per cent. sample of students; in later years all students were required to provide the data. Up until 1984 social class was collected only for students with A levels.
	Source:
	Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA).
	
		Accepted applicants to polytechnic and HE colleges in the UK by social class(10)
		
			  1991 1992 1993 
		
		
			 Total accepted students 94,465 125,590 130,596 
			 of which, percentage from(11):
			 I Professional 11.9 13.0 12.3 
			 II Intermediate 45.4 42.2 40.9 
			 IIIN Skilled non-manual 13.0 13.4 13.5 
			 IIIM Skilled manual 17.7 19.9 21.3 
			 Partly skilled 9.7 9.2 9.5 
			 Unskilled 1.8 2.2 2.5 
		
	
	(10) PCAS did not collect social class data prior to 1991.
	(11) Proportions are based on students who provided details of their background, and exclude non-respondents.
	Source:
	Polytechnics Central Admission System (PCAS).
	
		Accepted applicants to higher education institutions in the UK by social class
		
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Total accepted students 251,292 265,535 268,289 303,318 298,220 303,065 308,718 325,472 
			 of which, percentage from(12): 
			 I Professional 16.2 16.1 16.3 14.8 14.7 14.7 14.5 14.4 
			 II Intermediate 43.6 43.1 43.5 43.7 44.1 43.8 43.8 43.7 
			 IIIN Skilled non-manual 12.8 12.6 13.0 13.9 13.6 13.7 14.1 14.0 
			 IIIM Skilled manual 17.4 17.7 17.0 16.7 16.9 16.9 16.5 17.5 
			 Partly skilled 8.0 8.3 8.2 8.8 8.7 8.8 9.0 8.4 
			 Unskilled 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.0 
		
	
	(12) Proportions are based on students who provided details of their background, and exclude non-respondents.
	Source:
	Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	
		Accepted applicants to higher education institutions in the UK by socio-economic group
		
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Total accepted students 331,725 333,942 334,295 360,244 
			 of which, percentage from1: 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional 22.7 22.3 22.2 21.5 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional 30.9 31.1 31.5 31.3 
			 3. Intermediate 15.6 15.2 15.2 15.2 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 7.4 7.5 7.4 7.4 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical 4.7 5.0 4.9 4.8 
			 6. Semi-routine 12.8 13.2 13.2 14.0 
			 7. Routine 5.9 5.7 5.7 5.8 
		
	
	(13) Proportions are based on students who provided details of their background, and exclude non-respondents.
	(14) The socio-economic classification was introduced in 200203 to replace the social class categories. The socio-economic groupings are not directly comparable to social classes.
	Source:
	Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

University Students

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) of 2 February 2006, Official Report, columns 69091W, on university students, what percentage of students from socio-economic classes four to seven there were in each higher education institution in the north east in 200304.

Bill Rammell: Information for higher education institutions is published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in the annual publication Performance Indicators in Higher Education. The latest available figures on the percentage of young full-time first degree entrants from National StatisticsSocio Economic Classes (NS-SEC) 4, 5, 6 and 7 are shown in the table.
	
		Percentage of young full-time first degree entrants from National StatisticsSocio Economic Classes 47 at HE institutions in the north east 2003/04
		
			 HE institution Number of young full-time first degree entrants Percentage with known data Percentage from NS-SEC 47(15) 
		
		
			 University of Durham 3,480 92.9 15.8 
			 University of Newcastle upon Tyne 3,595 91.6 20.9 
			 University of Northumbria at Newcastle 4,050 82.6 31.2 
			 University of Sunderland 2,355 83.5 39.0 
			 University of Teeside 2,285 77.7 41.4 
		
	
	(15) 4: small employers and own account workers;
	5: lower supervisory and technical occupations;
	6: semi-routine occupations;
	7: routine occupations.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 'Performance Indicators in HE'

Voluntary Organisations (Compact Agreements)

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills with which voluntary organisations the Department has a formal national Compact agreement.

Beverley Hughes: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 107W.

SCOTLAND

Arbuthnott Commission

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the costs of the Arbuthnott Commission Report were; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The full costs of the Arbuthnott Commission are expected to be in the region of 245,000 but cannot be established until all final invoices have been received.

Arbuthnott Commission

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the membership of the Arbuthnott Commission; and what remuneration was paid to each member for serving on the Commission.

David Cairns: Membership of the Arbuthnott Commission is set out in their report, a copy of which was sent to all hon. Members with a Scottish constituency. No member of the Arbuthnott Commission received remuneration, however, they were entitled to claim for relevant travel and expenses associated with their work.

Arbuthnott Commission

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on the Arbuthnott Commission Report; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Scottish Executive Ministers on a range of matters. The Report makes 24 recommendations, some of which are for the Government, some for the Scottish Executive and others for the Electoral Commission.

Electricity Pylons

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the erection of new electricity pylons in Scotland as it affects (a) energy and (b) planning policy is a (i) reserved and (ii) devolved matter.

David Cairns: Installation of a high-voltage transmission line requires consent under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989. In Scotland functions under s.37 were executively devolved in 1999 and are exercised by Ministers of the Scottish Executive.

Solvent Abuse

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he had with the Department of Trade and Industry on consumer protection measures to protect the public in Scotland from solvent abuse.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend and I regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues. The UK Government as well as the Scottish Executive are committed to tackling the continuing problem of solvent abuse and increasing awareness of the problem.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Commonwealth Day

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make Commonwealth Day a national holiday.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government receives a variety of suggestions for new or different bank holidays. However, it is not possible to please everyone as to who or what should be celebrated. Unlike Northern Ireland, where St Patrick's Day is a bank holiday, bank and public holidays in Great Britain do not, by tradition, commemorate particular individuals, events, or institutions, other than those associated with Christmas and Easter. The present pattern of bank holidays is well established and accepted, and we have no current plans to change the arrangements.

Public School Fees

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the recent statement of objections by the Office of Fair Trading on exchange of information by public schools on fees charged.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is the United Kingdom's independent competition regulator. It has a duty to investigate and address anti-competitive conduct and enforce competition law. It has investigated the exchange of information between independent schools about the fees they charge. On 27 February 2005, the OFT issued a statement that they have agreed in principle to accept a proposal from the Independent Schools Council Steering Group for an ex-gratia payment from the schools concerned to be made which would bring the investigation to an end.
	This is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading. The Government has no substantive role in individual cases.

Voluntary Organisations (Compact Agreements)

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with which voluntary organisations the Department has a formal national Compact agreement.

Alan Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 107W by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office.

Weights and Measures

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006, Official Report, column 2324W, on full pint legislation, when he expects to publish proposals for consolidating and simplifying the weights and measures provisions relating to food.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The timing of the consultation on a new Order, consolidating and simplifying the weights and measures provisions relating to food, remains dependent on the progress of discussions in the European Council and Parliament of the Commission's proposals on specified quantities.

DEFENCE

Apache Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2006, Official Report, column 1079W, on Apache helicopters, what original date was set for the provision of a full complement of (a) Apache helicopters, (b) fully trained pilots and (c) fully trained engineers; what the current target date is in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The original contract delivery date for the final Apache helicopter was January 2004. This was changed to April 2004 to incorporate System Enhancements into those aircraft remaining to be delivered and achieved. The Retrofit Programme for those aircraft already delivered in the earlier part of the contract was originally due to be completed in June 2005, but is now due to complete in March 2006.
	The planned date for the provision of a full complement of Apache pilots was July 2006. The Army Air Corps is halfway through the conversion programme of pilots to the Apache helicopter and the full establishment is now expected to be reached in 2010. However, we expect all three Apache Regiments to be combat ready, with sufficient pilots in each Regiment, by December 2008. This level of manning will enable each Regiment to deploy on operations.
	The planned date for full manning of Apache helicopter engineers is July 2007 and we expect this date to be met.

Congestion Charge

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to minimise the number of his Department's vehicles entering the London congestion charge zone.

Don Touhig: Departmental policy requires that all travel is arranged in the most cost-effective manner. The congestion charge is only one of the factors that would be taken into account when deciding the most economical mode of transport.

Congestion Charge

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has paid for vehicles entering the London congestion charge zone in each year since it was introduced; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (a) military vehicles, (b) white fleet and (c) privately-owned vehicles.

Don Touhig: Military vehicles are exempt from congestion charges. 'White Fleet' (administrative vehicles) and privately-owned vehicles used for MOD business journeys are liable for congestion charges, but records of congestion charge payments made by the Department are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Contracts

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of defence contracts were awarded to BAE Systems in (a) 200203, (b) 200304 and (c) 200405; what the value was in each case; and how many were won through competitive tenders.

Adam Ingram: Based on data derived centrally from the Defence Bills Agency database, the following table details by value the proportion of contracts, and those won in competition, awarded directly to BAE Systems and their subsidiaries. The database represents the vast bulk of payments to the Ministry of Defence contractors but excludes local imprest accounts, contracts placed on behalf of other Government Departments, collaborative contracts placed through European Government Agencies and those awarded by MOD's trading fund agencies.
	
		
			   billion  billion Percentage  billion Percentage 
			 Financial year (a) Total MOD contracts (b) BAES contracts Proportion (b) to (a) (c) Competitive tenders Proportion (c) to (b) 
		
		
			 200203 15.835 1.120 7 0.493 44 
			 200304 11.978 0.562 5 0.012 2 
			 200405 12.650 0.573 5 0.116 20

Departmental Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of receipts from (a) royalties, (b) compensation and insurance receipts and (c) sales of licences that were (i) appropriated in aid of his Department and (ii) surrendered to the Consolidated Fund in each financial year since 199798.

Adam Ingram: The majority of receipts from royalties and sales of licences are managed by the Ministry of Defence's Intellectual Property Rights Group, and arise from the use of crown copyright, patents and trade marks and database rights. Receipts for the period 199798 to 200405 are detailed in the table:
	
		
			   thousand 
		
		
			 199798 298 
			 199899 156 
			 19992000 130 
			 200001 56 
			 200102 36 
			 200203 14 
			 200304 109 
			 200405 292 
		
	
	It is possible that other receipts arising from royalties and sales of licences have been received within other areas of the Department; however, this information is not readily identifiable and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Receipts from compensation and insurance claims are collated through the Ministry of Defence's Directorate of Safety and Claims which has published Annual Reports for the years requested, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.
	All receipts were appropriated in aid of the Department.

Dog Training

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the armed forces use electric shock collars to train their dogs;
	(2)  what training methods each of the armed forces uses to train dogs; and what training devices each employs.

Adam Ingram: Dog training within the Armed Forces is conducted at the Defence Animal Centre. Training is supervised and conducted in progressive stages, and the dogs are trained wearing either a plain leather collar or a high visibility harness with a rope or leather lead. Training is reward-based, including verbal praise, physical play or a combination of the two. No devices (such as electric shock collars) are used in the evaluation, training or retraining of Service dogs.

Historical Wrecks

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Government authorised Odyssey Marine Exploration to undertake salvage work on the wreck of HMS Sussex.

Adam Ingram: Odyssey Marine Exploration independently located the site and requested a licence to undertake an archaeological excavation with a view to recovering the cargo. A multi-departmental Project Board concluded that there was a danger of the site being subject to illicit salvage. Having considered Odyssey's competence in deep ocean archaeological excavation the Board concluded that it was preferable to manage the project in co-operation with the finder, ensuring that the site was excavated responsibly and to the fullest possible extent in accordance with good archaeological practice.

Injured Personnel

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were awarded a war pension in each of the past five years, broken down by the type of injury and illness for which they were awarded.

Don Touhig: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The information is not held in the format requested.
	However, we can provide the number of cases where an ongoing war pension was awarded in each of the past five years for the twelve month period 1 October to the following 30 September.
	
		
			  New pensions awarded 
		
		
			 200001 2,585 
			 200102 2,440 
			 200203 1,965 
			 200304 1,800 
			 200405 1,670

Joint Military Exercises

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what joint training exercises have been conducted between the Royal Air Force, Army and Royal Marines with their equivalent counterparts in the armed forces of Pakistan since January 2002; and in what type of terrain these exercises were conducted.

Adam Ingram: Since January 2002 exercise opportunities with Pakistani armed forces have been limited. The Army and Royal Air Force have had no interaction. Royal Navy units operating in the Indian Ocean do have regular contact, both for operations and training. The Joint Warfare Staff in the Permanent Joint Headquarters conducted an Overseas Joint Operations Planning Course in the Pakistani Joint Services HQ in Islamabad over the period 6 to 10 February 2006. It was attended by 47 officers from all three armed services. The course did not include a field phase.

Leaf Class Tankers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers and (b) crew are carried on each Leaf class tanker.

Adam Ingram: The complement for each of the four Leaf class tankers is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Ship Number of officers Number of ratings 
		
		
			 RFA Bayleaf 15 42 
			 RFA Brambleleaf 15 42 
			 RFA Orangeleaf 15 42 
			 RFA Oakleaf 14 22

Leaf Class Tankers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Leaf class tankers are available; and at what notice in each case.

Adam Ingram: All four Leaf class tankers are available for tasking by Fleet and all are at a high readiness state.

Military Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK citizens under 45 years of age have undertaken basic military training.

Don Touhig: Data regarding the number of UK citizens under 45 years of age who have under taken basic military training, are not held centrally.

Mine Clearance

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department have made of the use of unmanned surface vehicles in mine clearance.

Adam Ingram: During war fighting operations minefields are breached rather than cleared, to maintain our tempo and freedom of manoeuvre. On non-war fighting operations comprehensive mine clearance is generally undertaken by humanitarian organisations, rather than the armed forces. Unmanned surface vehicles have some utility in such mine clearance, and humanitarian deminers use unmanned flails as part of the process. However this is still followed up with hand clearance for complete assurance that the area is clear.
	Within our armed forces, Royal Engineer Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams use the Redfire remotely controlled vehicle to deal with mines that have strayed out of minefields in the Falklands. Our future armoured minefield breaching vehicle, Trojan, and the Terrier engineer vehicle also have a capability to be fitted for remote operation during minefield breaching operations.

Navigation Data

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of documents (a) DCI 305/4, (b) the GPS Office charter and (c) DIN 2005DIN08013 relating to global positioning satellite systems.

Adam Ingram: The DCI and DIN requested are being withheld because their release would be likely to prejudice the security of our armed forces. The GPS Office Charter contains information which, if released, may compromise international relations. This is being reviewed and I will write to the hon. Member when the review has been completed.

Nuclear Deterrent

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials from other Departments on the renewal of the British nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: No decisions have yet been taken on any replacement for Trident although these are likely to be required in the current Parliament. Preparatory work is being undertaken by officials in a number of departments on possible options for the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent. Ministers have not yet received advice on this issue.

QinetiQ

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the maximum number of employees of QinetiQ with experience of acquisitions and mergers was (a) before and (b) after the sale of 34 per cent. of its shares;
	(2)  what acquisitions were bought by QinetiQ (a) before and (b) after the sale of 34 per cent. of its shares.

John Reid: This is an operational matter for the company; questions should be referred to the chief executive at the following address:
	Graham Love
	Chief Executive
	QinetiQ Limited
	Cody Technology Park
	Building Al
	Ively Road
	Farnborough
	Hampshire
	GUI4 OLX

RMP Buildings (Chichester)

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether decisions have been taken about the future use of the land and buildings until recently occupied by the Royal Military Police in Chichester; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Rousillion Barracks is surplus to Ministry of Defence (MOD) requirements for police use. Although we are still considering wider defence uses for the site, it is likely that it will come forward for disposal. Indeed, the site has already been exposed on the English Partnerships' (EP) Register of Surplus Public Sector Assets. While EP do not wish to acquire the site, we have opened discussions with them (as well as with other stakeholders) as they wish to work with MOD in relation to the sale of an adjacent hospital site.

Sea Harriers

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the Indian Government concerning the possible purchase of surplus UK Sea Harriers; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Indian navy has recently expressed an interest in acquiring up to eight surplus Sea Harrier FA2 aircraft for use as training aircraft in support of the existing Indian navy Sea Harrier FRS51 fleet. Discussions between the UK Ministry of Defence and the Indian navy are continuing.

Security

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely impact on UK security of future depletion of natural resources; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence continually assesses threats, challenges and opportunities for UK security as part of its planning process.
	Increased competition for limited natural resources is one factor which could contribute to conflict both within and between states. This and other dimensions of the security challenge are dealt with in Chapter 2 of the 2003 Defence White PaperDelivering Security in a Changing World (Cm 60411).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the merits of the Afghan poppy crop being bought by richer nations and converted into morphine for medical uses; and what assessment his Department has made of alternative agricultural options for Afghan poppy farmers.

Hilary Benn: The Afghan Government has expressed its opposition to licit cultivation of opium. The Afghan Minister for Counter Narcotics, Habibullah Qaderi has said recently:
	The poor security situation in the country means there can simply be no guarantee that opium will not be smuggled out of the country for the illicit narcotics trade abroad. Without an effective control mechanism, a lot of opium will still be refined into heroin for illicit markets in the west and elsewhere. We could not accept this.
	The UK agrees that licensing opium cultivation in Afghanistan for medical use is not a realistic solution to its drug problem, not least because it risks a high level of diversion of licit opium into illegal channels. The production of opium is also contrary to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
	It is also unlikely that licit Afghan opium would be economically viable as Afghanistan could not compete with countries currently producing licit opium such as Australia, France and Spain. Legalisation is against the approach set out in the Afghan Government's internationally endorsed national drug control strategy. Some progress in reducing illegal cultivation is being made but it will take time and will take even longer if farmers and traffickers believe that the ban on cultivation is open to challenge.
	Agriculture dominates the Afghan economy. Previously Afghanistan was a major exporter of horticulture and livestock products. However, 25 years of war and civil conflict and the recent drought have seriously affected Afghanistan's agriculture sector. Developing this sector is critical for economic growth, poverty reduction and for tackling opium poppy cultivation. Although no other crop can compete with poppy in terms of economic return to farmers, there are several promising and profitable legal alternatives.
	DFID leads the British Government's efforts to develop alternative livelihoods to opium production in Afghanistan. In financial year 200506, we are spending over 45 million for this purpose. This is an almost tenfold increase on the amount spent in 200304. In financial year 200607 spending is expected to continue at similar levels. A proportion of this funding will continue to be specifically targeted on improving agricultural opportunities for Afghan farmers. This includes research to help identify, test and implement new crops and technologies. Examples include improvements in health and husbandry for livestock, apricot drying, honey bee keeping, and the introduction of fruit tree nurseries and greenhouses for vegetable production. DFID has also jointly funded with United States Agency for International Development a $25 million nationwide programme to increase access to seeds and fertiliser for over 500,000 farmers for alternative crops.
	At the same time as developing agricultural opportunities, DFID is also promoting the development of non-farm alternative livelihoods by supporting national programmes of the Government of Afghanistan which are helping to increase access to credit and improve infrastructure for farmers to transport their produce to markets.

Afghanistan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's activities in Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development is working with the Afghan Government and the rest of the international development community to rebuild the country and reduce poverty. DFID has provided over 300 million in bilateral support since September 2001. At the London conference on Afghanistan on 31 January, we committed a further 330 million over the next three years, as part of a wider UK pledge of some 500 million. In addition to this, DFID provides support to Afghanistan through multilateral channels including the European Community, the United Nations and the World Bank.
	Following the launch of the Afghan Government's National Development Framework in April 2002 donors were asked to focus on specific areas of Afghanistan's reconstruction needs. DFID's focus recently has been on building the capacity of the Afghan Government's institutions, supporting better economic management and promoting sustainable livelihoods. The Afghan Government have recently completed their Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy (IANDS). DFID and other donors are considering how to realign our programmes behind this new strategy.
	Further information on DFID's current programme can be found in the Interim Strategy for Afghanistan 200506 placed in the Libraries of the House, or on DFID's website at www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/asia/afghanistan.asp

Angola

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on the establishment of a donors conference for Angola; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Over the past few months, the Government of Angola has indicated that the time has passed for a traditional donors' conference where donors pledge resources. At the same time, some members of the international community as well as members of the Angolan Government have suggested that a partners' conference would be more appropriate at this stage in the country's reconstruction and development.
	The main outcomes of such as event would be to secure a closer working relationship between the Government of Angola and the international community on development objectives: a formal agreement to continue open dialogue including on issues such as governance and transparency and further steps to improve aid effectiveness.
	DFID and the FCO have agreed to consult the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the other bilateral donors in Angola about their interest in a partners' conference involving government, donors, the private sector and civil society. These consultations have only recently started and have not yet reached any clear conclusions

Auditing

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Auditor-General and his Department and (b) the internal departmental auditing mechanisms in (i) Ethiopia, (ii) Ghana, (iii) Kenya, (iv) Mozambique, (v) Rwanda, (vi) Tanzania, (vii) Uganda, (viii) India, (ix) Pakistan and (x) Vietnam.

Hilary Benn: DFID has conducted fiduciary risk assessments in all 10 countries, in advance of agreeing commitments of poverty reduction budget support or other types of aid. These assessments involve an analysis (with recommendations for strengthening where appropriate) of the partner countries' public financial management and accountability systemsincluding the effectiveness of their auditors-general and other control mechanisms such as internal audit. In assessing audit systems we consider factors such as the independence of the auditor and resources available to carry out audits; the scope and nature of the audit work; standards used, timeliness of reports and follow up actions taken.
	Further analyses of fiduciary controls in Ghana, Uganda, Mozambique, Pakistan and India have been carried out this financial year by the UK National Audit Office (NAO) and DFID's own internal audit department as part of routine audit work. Additionally, at the request of the Kenyan Auditor General, DFID provided consultant support to review the functioning of the Kenya National Audit Office.

Darfur

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of people who are residing in internally displaced persons' camps in Darfur; and what estimate he has made of the number who have access to humanitarian assistance.

Hilary Benn: In Darfur 1.8 million people are residing in internally displaced persons' camps. The UN estimates that it currently provides humanitarian assistance to 77 per cent. of these. Inaccessibility of the remaining 23 per cent. is due to increasing insecurity in Darfur, particularly in West Darfur, over the last couple of months.
	In addition to these internally displaced persons (IDPs) a further 1.8 million people who live outside the camps are in need of humanitarian assistance. These people are even more vulnerable to access disruption caused by insecurity.
	The priority is to continue to provide for people in and outside camps who are in need of assistance and protection, and to find a political solution that will allow people to return home and rebuild their lives. During my visit to Sudan on 2122 February, I talked to the AU about how the UK and others could assist AMIS in improving security and pressed the Government to put forward proposals for a negotiated political agreement in Abuja.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the distribution of aid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Hilary Benn: EU members states and the European Commission are partners with DFID in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The European Commission is the second biggest donor in the DRC (227 million in 2005) after the World Bank. France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany also have aid programmes in the DRC. The EC, France, Belgium, Germany and the UK are all developing new plans for development assistance to the DRC over the course of 2006. We are working together to try and ensure that our activities are complementary.
	Given the extent of humanitarian and development needs, the international community has given insufficient aid to the DRC. I wrote to Kofi Annan on 8 February welcoming the launch of the 2006 UN action plan for the DRC, which made clear the level of unmet need in the country, and asked donors to give $681 million in support of humanitarian programmes. The UK has pledged 60 million over two years to this plan, and encouraged European and other donors to contribute significant funds as well.
	In my letter to Kofi Annan, I also stressed the importance of meeting all needs, no matter where poor people are or the cause of their suffering. The east of the DRC, which has suffered most from the conflict, has traditionally benefited more from development and humanitarian assistance than other regions, but there are other areas of the country with equal or greater needs that also need support. The UN action plan seeks to address humanitarian needs across the country, irrespective of geographical location and cause. We are working with the UN, European and other counterparts to achieve this. There is also recognition among the donor community that urgent humanitarian and longer term development needs in the DRC should be addressed in parallel.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what monitoring of the use of UK aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo is undertaken by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Monitoring of the use of UK aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo is conducted in accordance with standard DFID procedures that apply across all of the Department's programmes. For our bilateral aid, organisations implementing projects on behalf of DFID are required to submit regular, usually quarterly, financial and narrative reports on their activities. In addition, projects over 1 million require a full review to be undertaken at least annually with recommendations for actions to maximise impact and a final completion report, including the lessons learned to inform future work. Regular monitoring by DFID staff, who remain closely in touch with partner organisations throughout the duration of a project, is also an important part of the monitoring process.
	All multilateral agencies have their own internal monitoring and evaluation systems and DFID's work on reforming the international system has included helping to strengthen these systems to deliver results at a country level. An example is DFID's use of the Multilateral Effectiveness Framework to assess the performance of multilateral agencies and make recommendations for improvement. The UK has a seat on the board of multilateral organisations, and is therefore involved in multilateral decision making including the development and review of country strategies and programmes.
	DFID also works jointly with multilateral agencies on many projects. DFID in the DRC works with multilateral agencies and other bilateral donors on justice, infrastructure, humanitarian, police, governance, HIV/AIDS and social sector projects. Working together in this way enables DFID to design, monitor and evaluate these programmes jointly with other donor organisations.
	One of the most important ways in which we monitor multilateral agencies' work is through daily discussion, sharing information and ideas between DFID staff in DRC and partners in the European Commission, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and United Nations, on both the development of their overall strategies for DRC and the implementation of individual programmes.

Developing Countries

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of EU agricultural policies on people in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Government acknowledge the damaging impact that dumping and trade-distorting subsidies have on developing countries, particularly on their agriculture. We fully support the commitment made at the WTO Doha ministerial meeting in 2001, which agreed that agriculture negotiations would aim to achieve: substantial improvements in market access; reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support.
	On export subsidies, there was progress at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial held in Hong Kong in December. It was agreed that export subsidies would be completely eliminated by 2013, subject to movement in other areas of the negotiations. The UK wanted the end date to be 2010, but there will be frontloading and substantial reductions in these particularly damaging subsidies early in the implementation period.
	The package of reforms to the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) agreed in June 2003 and May 2004 mark a significant shift in the EU's agricultural policy. The decoupling of subsidies from production should connect European farmers much more closely to the market and have real impacts on reducing excessive production, which results in dumping and harms developing countries. The Government will continue to push for further reform of the EU's agricultural policy and I welcome the fact that the EU Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the EU plays a full and constructive role in the WTO agriculture negotiations.
	The Doha Development Agenda represents an important opportunity to make a significant contribution to reducing global poverty. The UK Government are working to achieve an outcome that delivers real gains for developing countries, including the poorest. These gains should include improved participation by developing countries in the world trading system, through substantially increased market access for developing countries and the dismantling of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies by industrialised countries.

Iraq

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on reconstruction in Iraq between April 2003 and December 2005.

Hilary Benn: DFID spent 290 million in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in Iraq between April 2003 and December 2005. DFID also provides 19 per cent. of European Community development funding: the EC spent 518 million on humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Iraq between 2003 and 2005.

Iraq

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on armoured civilian vehicles by his Department for operation in Iraq between April 2003 and December 2005; and how many such vehicles were purchased by his Department in that period.

Hilary Benn: Between April 2003 and December 2005, DFID purchased 42 armoured vehicles, to enable staff to safely carry out our humanitarian and reconstruction activities in Iraq. The total cost of these vehicles was 2,732,000.

Iraq

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department was of (a) preparing and (b) deploying contracted (i) civil service and (ii) non-civil service (A) UK and (B) non-UK civilian personnel to Iraq between April 2003 and December 2005; and what the salary costs of these staff were in this period.

Hilary Benn: Between April 2003 and December 2005, DFID spent 210,000 preparing DFID civil servants and consultants for deployment to Iraq. This covers pre-deployment hostile environment training, plus necessary equipment such as satellite phones, body armour, flak jackets and helmets. Our records do not disaggregate this figure between our own staff and project consultants or between UK and non UK personnel.
	DFID civil servants working on the Iraq programme in this period have cost 4.4 million. This includes salaries, overseas allowances, transfer costs and travel. Of this amount, 3 million was disbursed on salaries. Again, our records do not disaggregate these costs between those staff working in London and those working in Iraq, or between UK and non UK personnel.
	Most non-civil service personnel deployed to Iraq are engaged not individually, but through bigger contracts to implement projects. The total cost to DFID of all consultancy contracts in Iraq during this period was 31.4 million. Our records do not disaggregate this figure between fees, reimbursables and programme costs, or between preparation and deployment costs. Consultants receive fees rather than salaries, so it may be helpful to know that the average fees paid for a consultant working for DFID in Iraq are between 700 to 1,250 a day.
	In addition to the above costs, DFID also meets essential life support costs for all DFID staff and consultants who work in or visit Iraq. This includes security, transport, medical services, food and accommodation; we expect to disburse 55 million on this life-support between April 2003 and the end of the current financial year, ending 31 March 2006. This support is necessary and integral to the effective delivery of the humanitarian and reconstruction programmes that we run.

Mauritius

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's activities in Mauritius.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not have a bilateral programme in Mauritius. Our development assistance to Mauritius is primarily channelled through our contributions to the EC and UN programmes there. The UK contributes 12.7 per cent. to the European Development Fund, which delivers funds to ACP countries, including Mauritius. The EC has allocated 43 million euros for development activities in Mauritius between 2001 and 2007.
	In addition, the UK provides limited support through a small grants scheme, amounting to 60,000 this year, for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible.

Middle East

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what alternative channels of funding to the Palestinians are being considered should Hamas refuse to renounce violence and recognise Israel;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the Palestinian election on international funding for Palestinian development;
	(3)  what review of the country assistance plan for Palestinians is being made in light of Hamas's success in the Palestinian elections;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of private sector initiatives as a means of sustaining international aid to the Palestinians.

Hilary Benn: The Government fully support the statements by the Quartet and the European Union on 30 January. We support the Quartet in urging measures to facilitate the work of the current caretaker government to stabilise public finances. Future assistance to any new Palestinian Government will be reviewed against that Government's commitment to the principles of non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap. Subject to that review it is too early to say what channels of funding to the Palestinians might be appropriate.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer has launched an initiative to identify how private sector development and growth can contribute to sustained peace in the region. DFID supports this initiative and, in collaboration with the World Bank, is providing expertise on private sector development.

Parliamentary Accountability

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action the Government are taking to support the capacity of (a) parliaments, (b) parliamentarians and (c) parliamentary officials in (i) the Middle East, (ii) north Africa and (iii) central and eastern Europe to (A) hold Governments to account and (B) improve the effectiveness of public expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Government's support to parliaments in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe is provided through DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and through the European Commission's external assistance budget, 17 per cent. of which is attributed to DFID. Our programmes help parliaments to hold their Governments to account, monitor public expenditure and represent constituency and public interest.
	Programmes in the Middle East and North Africa
	The FCO's Engaging with the Islamic World (EIW) Programme has funded over 50 projects in North Africa and the Middle East since 2003. The programme places a special emphasis on support for internal political and economic reform in Arab countries, and works either with host Governments or with established and respected non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The programme has supported projects to build the capacity of parliaments, parliamentarians and parliamentary officials in the Middle East and North Africa region, up to a value of approximately 1.7 million. These have included an 85,000 project in Jordan with a focus on women parliamentarians, and a 191,000 parliamentary development project in Bahrain.
	In Yemen, DFID is supporting a public financial management reform programme which aims to strengthen parliament's oversight of the budget preparation process. So far, DFID has committed 200,000 for the programme's design phase.
	Programmes in Central and Eastern Europe
	In Russia, DFID has established a Donor Secretariat with funding of 550,000, as part of a joint DFID-World Bank Trust Fund on Public Administration Reform. The Secretariat works with the Russian Parliament to help strengthen its capacity to tackle corruption and ensure effective public expenditure management, in accordance with international best practice on accountability and transparency.
	In Bosnia Herzegovina, DFID is providing training and guidance to help all parliamentarians to understand and contribute to the budgeting process, and to strengthen the role of the Parliamentary Assembly Finance Committee. This training is provided through our Medium Term Expenditure Framework project, whose total budget is 1.6 million.
	In Ukraine, DFID's development programme includes work on training parliamentarians and parliamentary officials in legislative drafting techniques to ensure clear, transparent and non-discretional laws. Over the period 200003, DFID ran a 1.5 million Local and Regional Government Institutional Strengthening Programme, aimed at improving the effectiveness of public expenditure. The project worked in close co-operation with the Ukrainian Parliament Budgetary Committee to support development of the Budget Code approved by the Ukrainian Parliament in 2001. In 2005 DFID provided 100,000 for a follow-up project which has continued our work on refining the application of the Budget Code.
	In Moldova, the FCO's Global Opportunities Fund is helping parliamentarians in Moldova to scrutinise proposals for harmonisation with EU legislation.
	In Georgia, DFID has committed 400,000 to help build civil society's capacity to analyse public finances; this project may include building the capacity of parliamentary committees to oversee public expenditure.
	Programmes covering both regions
	The Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is a Non-Departmental Public Body which was set up by the FCO in 1992, and is funded primarily by an annual 4.1 million grant from the FCO. The WFD works with the political parties in the House of Commons to promote political party development in Central and Eastern Europe, Anglophone Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. It also funds projects which support parliaments and other organisations involved in political development in these regions. Currently the WFD is developing a programme of activities for a network of reform-minded parliamentarians.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office arranges many visits to the UK for parliamentarians from the Middle East, North Africa and central and eastern Europe, as part of its Sponsored Visits Programme.
	The EC's Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX) provides assistance to parliamentarians in Central and Eastern Europe through seminars and study visits. The European Commission is extending TAIEX to cover European Neighbourhood Partnership Initiative (ENPI) countries in Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

South Africa

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's activities in South Africa.

Hilary Benn: DFID supports the Government of South Africa in three priority areas: growth, jobs and equity; HIV/AIDS and vulnerability; and governance, democracy and service delivery.
	DFID's work on growth, jobs and equity helps to access poor people to South Africa's formal economy so that they can benefit from the resources which are already available (in areas such as land, and finance) but from which they are currently excluded. It also helps South Africa translate the growth in its economy into jobs. Secondly, work on HIV/AIDS and vulnerability helps South Africa to tackle its growing HIV/AIDS pandemic, through supporting a range of partners (National and Provincial Governments, civil society groups and the private sector) across a range of activities from prevention, through care, support and treatment to mitigating the impacts of HIV on communities and society. Following the crop failures and resulting hunger which hit Southern Africa in late 2002, and DFID's response of providing more than 150 million in food aid, DFID SA took on a new role of developing a longer term regional response to food insecurity in Southern Africa. Work on this, along with work on social protection issues, has been incorporated into our work on HIV/AIDS, under a broader vulnerability theme. Thirdly, DFID's work on governance, democracy and service delivery helps South Africa deliver quality public services in an equitable way to all citizens. A particular focus has been reform and capacity building of provincial and local government to strengthen their delivery of basic services, including education and health. Our bilateral budget for South Africa in 200607 is 23 million.
	DFID is launching a Regional plan for Southern Africa on the 28 February 2006. The Regional plan will tackle cross boundary issues in growth, jobs and equity; resilient livelihoods; and peace/security. Examples of areas where DFID plans to support work under the Regional plan include trans-boundary water management; transport infrastructure; customs border posts; treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in the region.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what baseline figures he is using for assessing progress on his Department's targets to reduce (a) the total number of civil service posts by 170 and (b) the number of in country posts by 124; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets.

Hilary Benn: In December 2005 DFID agreed a revised Efficiency Technical Note which contains baseline figures for all its efficiency targets. The Technical Note is available to the public on DFID's website (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/efficiency-technical-note.pdf).
	The baseline figure for the total number of civil service posts was 1,780 in April 2004, and for in-country posts the baseline was 1,162 in April 2004. However there have been a number of subsequent definitional changes which have increased this initial baseline.
	DFID remains on course to meet its home civil service target of 1,610 by March 2008 and its intermediate target for March 2006 of 1,820.
	The reduction in our in-country posts to 950 by March 2008 has already been achieved.
	These savings are part of DFID's overall administration cost efficiency gain which will amount to 20 million by the end of 200708.

Tsunami

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development from which budget his Department's donation to the tsunami relief effort was taken.

Hilary Benn: Of the 75 million pledged, 20 million was drawn from DFID's crisis response budget, 30 million from DFID's general reserve, and a further 25 million from the Government's central reserve.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carers (Housing Benefit)

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision is made for the accommodation needs of carers in housing benefit assessments.

James Plaskitt: Housing benefit is paid to help meet the rental liability on the dwelling that the claimant occupies as their home. Housing benefit rules restrict the amount of rent for which help is available to reasonable levels, taking into account the size of the claimant's household. The determination of reasonable rent takes account of the individual needs and circumstances of the claimant and their household. In general, no account will be taken of those carers for whom the claimant's dwelling is not their home.

Child Support

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child support cases on the CS2 system were assessed under a default maintenance decision in each year since 2003.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; how many child support cases on the CS2 system were assessed under a default maintenance decision in each year since 2003.
	The number of new-scheme applications resulting in an initial default maintenance decision per year is presented in the table, attached.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		Number of applications resulting in an initial default maintenance decision, per year
		
			  Number of calculations performed Number of default maintenance decisions Default maintenance decisions as a % of total calculations performed 
		
		
			 2003 56,500 4,000 6 
			 2004 97,000 4,000 4 
			 2005 119,500 2,500 2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Since the new-scheme became operational in March 2003, information for 2003 covers the period of March-December. Data for 2004 and 2005 covers the full calendar year.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 500 and percentages to the nearest per cent.

Child Support

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) internal and (b) external legal advisers have been consulted by the Child Support Agency since August 2005 over the case of Mr. Edward Saul; what the total cost of this advice has been; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Friend with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) internal and (b) external legal advisers have been consulted by the Child Support Agency since August 2005 over the case of Mr. Edward Saul; what the total cost of this advice was; and if he will make a statement.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for Child Support Agency staff numbers for the period 2005 to 2008; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for Child Support Agency staff numbers for the period 2005 to 2008.
	Child Support Agency staffing at the end of December 2005 was 10,649 full time equivalents (FTE). The plans for staff numbers up to 2008 can be seen in the table.
	
		
			 Date as at 31 March: Planned CSA Staffing (FTE(16)) 
		
		
			 2006 11,371 
			 2007 10,782 
			 2008 9,590 
		
	
	(16) Full time equivalent (FTE) converts staff numbers to express the hours part-time staff are contracted to work as a proportion of full-time hours.
	We are planning to increase staffing levels in the CSA to support the delivery of the Operational Improvement Plan. Some of the additional posts will be filled by redeploying staff from other parts of the department where staffing levels are reducing.
	No other part of the department will have to make additional headcount reductions as part of our staffing plans for the CSA.
	While our plans do include a temporary increase in CSA staffing, the Agency's headcount target for March 2008 remains unchanged from that already included in the department's wider efficiency plan to reduce departmental staffing levels by 30,000 between March 2004 and March 2008.
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of applications were cleared by the Child Support Agency because (a) a maintenance calculation was made and a payment arrangement put in place, (b) good cause was established and (c) the parent with care was subject to a reduced benefit direction, in each quarter of the last five years for which information is available.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of applications were cleared by the Child Support Agency because (a) a maintenance calculation was made and a payment arrangement put in place (b) good cause was established and (c) the parent with care was subject to a reduced benefit direction in each quarter over the last five years where the information is available.
	Such information as is available is provided in the attached table.
	The attached table shows the number and proportion of old scheme cases that were cleared due to assessments and reduced benefit decisions (RBDs) between July 2001 and March 2003, and also the breakdown requested for new scheme cases between April and December 2005.
	From the available management information, I am not able to say how many old scheme cases were cleared as a result of being identified as claiming good cause, or to provide numbers for the period between April 2003 and March 2005 for the new scheme or for the old scheme from April 2003 to present.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		Number and proportion of cases cleared by different methods in each quarter for the period July 2001 to March 2003 and April 2005 to June 2005
		
			  July to September 2001 October to December 2001 January to March 2002 April to June 2002 July to September 2002 October to December 2002 January to March 2003 
		
		
			 Total clearances 92,000 112,000 113,000 96,000 101,000 87,000 81,000 
			 Of which:
			 Assessed 24,000 30,000 31,000 28,000 28,000 24,000 22,000 
			 Assessed (Percentage) 26 26 28 29 28 28 27 
			 
			 RBD 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,000 2,000 
			 RBD (Percentage) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 
			 Other 66,000 80,000 80,000 67,000 72,000 62,000 58,000 
			 Other (Percentage) 71 72 71 70 71 71 71 
		
	
	
		
			  April to June 2005 July to September 2005 October to December 2005 
		
		
			 Total clearances 86,000 81,000 88,000 
			 Of which:
			 Old scheme 9,000 6,000 5,000 
			 New scheme 77,000 75,000 84,000 
			 
			 Of which (new scheme only)
			 Calculation and collection schedule 28,000 29,000 32,000 
			 Calculation and collection schedule (Percentage) 36 39 38 
			 
			 RBD 1,000 1,000 1,000 
			 RBD (Percentage) 2 1 2 
			 
			 Good Cause 2,000 1,000 2,000 
			 Good Cause (Percentage) 2 2 2 
			 
			 Other 46,000 44,000 49,000 
			 Other (Percentage) 60 58 58 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. An old scheme application is defined as cleared if the case is closed or a maintenance assessment has been carried out. In addition, an application is also counted as cleared if the parent with care (PWC) is identified as claiming good cause or the PWC is subject to a reduced benefit decision. This differs slightly to the definition of a new scheme clearance (see below) and figures from the two schemes will therefore only be broadly, and not directly, comparable.
	2. A new scheme application is defined as cleared if the case is closed or a maintenance assessment has been carried out and a maintenance collection schedule set up. In addition, an application is also counted as cleared if the parent with care (PWC) is identified as claiming good cause, or the PWC is subject to a reduced benefit decision, or is identified as being a change of circumstance to an existing application, as opposed to a new one.
	3. The figure for other clearances on the old scheme (July 2001 to March 2003) includes those cases cleared because the PWC has been identified as claiming good cause, or the case has been closed, or the case has been cleared for any other reason. It is not possible to identify figures for good cause separately.
	4. The figure for other clearances on the new scheme (April to December 2005) includes those cases cleared because the case has been closed, or the application has been identified as a change of circumstance to an existing application.
	5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand, and percentages to the nearest 1 per cent. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Child Support

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were employed by the Child Support Agency in each year between 2000 and 2005.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the right hon. Friend with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were employed by the Child Support Agency in each year between 2000 and 2005.
	The attached Table below contains the number of full time equivalent staff in post in the months requested. The figures include fixed-term appointments and temporary staff, but not Northern Ireland staff (who are part of the Northern Ireland Civil Service).
	I hope this is helpful.
	
		
			   Period Full-time equivalent staff (Cabinet Office mandate methodology) Full-time equivalent staff (ONS methodology) 
		
		
			 31 March:   
			 2000 8,729  
			 2001 9,555  
			 2002 10,691  
			 2003 11,256  
			 2004 10,819 11,037 
			 2005 9,784 9,985 
			
			 31 December:   
			 2005 10,466 10,649 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Cabinet Office mandate methodology excludes staff on nil pay, maternity leave and staff on reduced pay due to sickness.
	2. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has introduced standard definitions for use in the calculation of all public sector employment statistics. In line with other public sector organisations DWP has now implemented the ONS definitions. The ONS definition includes staff previously excluded, e.g. staff on maternity leave.
	3. Historical data using this definition is now available backdated to February 2004, the baseline for the Department's efficiency challenge.

Child Support

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason he has not published the review of the Child Support Agency undertaken by the chief executive and completed in December 2005.

James Plaskitt: Last year the Agency chief executive, Stephen Geraghty, undertook a review of the Agency's operations. A summary of his findings have been made available on the Department's website.
	The Secretary of State has announced a redesign of the child support systemto be led by Sir David Henshaw and an Operational Improvement Plan to improve the Agency's performance. Copies of the terms of reference and Operational Improvement Plan are in the Library and have been made available on the Department's website.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of housing benefit in the most recent period for which figures are available; how many had their housing benefit paid directly to a landlord.

James Plaskitt: As at May 2004, the most recent figures for which a breakdown is available, there were a total of 3,879,000 households in Great Britain in receipt of housing benefit.
	Of these, 1,808,000 were local authority tenants entitled to rent rebates. A further 1,328,000 were tenants of Registered Social Landlords and 744,000 were tenants of private landlords, entitled to rent allowance.
	Of the rent allowance cases, 1,218,000 of the tenants of Registered Social Landlord and 417,000 tenants of private landlords had their benefit paid directly to the landlord or their agent.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many housing benefit claims in 200405 were subject to each rate of non-dependant deduction.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested; as some claimants have more than one non-dependent and the rate of deduction is determined by the non-dependant's status.
	The available information on the numbers of each type of deduction is in the table.
	
		Housing benefit non-dependants by deduction type: Great Britain, May 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Housing benefit claims attracting non-dependant  deductions 130,000 
			 Total non-dependants (all categories) 140,000 
			 of which:  
			 In remunerative work  
			 Gross income 97 9,000 
			 Gross income 97143.99 9,000 
			 Gross income 144185.99 11,000 
			 Gross income 186246.99 9,000 
			 Gross income 247307.99 6,000 
			 Gross income 308 and over 14,000 
			 Not receiving IS/JSA(IB) nor working. 32,000 
			 Receiving IS/JSA(IB); not in work. 48,000 
			 On Government Training Allowance; not in work. (17)1,000 
		
	
	(17) Figures under 2,500subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be used only as a guide to the situation.
	Notes:
	1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. The caseload figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. Totals may not sum to rounding.
	3. Housing benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2004.

Incapacity Benefit

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with a learning disability claimed incapacity benefits in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Figures for those incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants with a primary diagnosis within the diagnoses groups that include learning difficulties are in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in Great Britain, by certain diagnoses
		
			  Pervasive development disorders Specific development disorders of scholastic skills 
		
		
			 August   
			 1997 100 12,000 
			 1998 300 17,400 
			 1999 600 21,100 
			 2000 800 25,000 
			 2001 1,100 28,700 
			 2002 1,400 31,800 
			 2003 1,700 35,100 
			 2004 2,200 38,800 
			 2005 2,700 42,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for the years 1997 to 1998 have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Claimant figures include all IB and SDA (including IB credits only cases).
	4. All diagnoses are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, published by the World Health Organisation.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples from 1997 to 1998 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter.

National Insurance Numbers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many temporary national insurance numbers have been allocated in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: None; the Department does not issue temporary national insurance numbers.

Parliamentary Questions

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to answer questions (a) 19191 and (b) 19192 tabled by the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre on 18 October.

Anne McGuire: A reply, linking both questions was given to the hon. Member on 6 December 2005, Official Report, column 1196W.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to (a) Question 38218, on security of data, tabled on 13 December 2005 and (b) Question 30081, on over-paid benefits, tabled on 15 November 2005, by the hon. Member for Daventry.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 2 February 2006
	Replies were made to the hon. Member for both the questions as follows:
	(a) 38218 on 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1674W;
	(b) 30081 on 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 860W.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed by (a) the Pension Service in the UK and (b) each pension centre at the end of each of the last 18 months for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The following table shows the amount of staff in The Pension Service for each of the last 18 months. Information is not available by pension centre.
	
		
			 Month Numbers of total TPS Staff(18) 
		
		
			 August 2004 17,428 
			 September 2004 16,955 
			 October 2004 16,651 
			 November 2004 16,539 
			 December 2004 16,520 
			 January 2005 16,970 
			 February 2005 16,848 
			 March 2005 16,189 
			 April 2005 15,870 
			 May 2005 15,792 
			 June 2005 15,540 
			 July 2005 15,242 
			 August 2005 15,014 
			 September 2005 14,859 
			 October 2005 14,756 
			 November 2005 14,686 
			 December 2005 14,600 
			 January 2006 14,482 
		
	
	(18) Full-time equivalent.
	The above figures are based on Mandate calculation up to and including November 2005 and reflect full-time equivalent staff numbers. From December 2005 the figures are based on the Office for National Statistics methodology.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has introduced standard definitions for use in the calculation of all public sector employment statistics. The revised definition includes staff on certain types of paid leave such as paid maternity leave and paid sick leave previously excluded. In line with other public sector organisations, DWP has implemented the new ONS definitions, internally, from November, although this definition was used in reporting DWP staffing figures to ONS for the Quarter 3 Public Sector Employees Survey published on 13 January 2006.

CABINET OFFICE

Office for Public Service Reform

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has abolished the Office for Public Service Reform; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The work previously being undertaken by the Office for Public Service Reform is now being taken forward elsewhere in the Cabinet Office.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Parliamentary Questions

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Leader of the House what proposals he has received for a system for tabling parliamentary questions during recess.

Geoff Hoon: Members may already table questions during recesses, by post or via the e-tabling system. Questions are published in one or more blue notice papers which appear towards the end of each recess.
	I have received representations from colleagues on both sides of the House seeking an extension of this system, including the answering of questions during recesses.

Scottish Grand Committee

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Leader of the House how many Scottish Grand Committee meetings were held in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The figures for meetings of the Scottish Grand Committee, by parliamentary session, are as follows:
	
		
			  Scottish Grand Committee 
		
		
			 198990 5 
			 199091 8 
			 199192 2 
			 199293 8 
			 199394 7 
			 199495 11 
			 199596 14 
			 199697 6 
			 199798 9 
			 199899 4 
			 19992000 4 
			 200001 1 
			 200102 5 
			 200203 3 
			 200304 0 
			 200405 0 
			 200506(19) 0 
		
	
	(19) To date.
	Meetings of the Committee are arranged as appropriate in discussion with all parties.

Sitting Hours

Peter Bone: To ask the Leader of the House how many hours the House of Commons has sat this Parliament; and what proportion of those hours was spent considering private Members' Bills.

Geoff Hoon: Up to and including 16 February, the House has sat for 830 hours 40 minutes in the current session. Of this time, 28 hours and 50 minutes (approximately 3.5 per cent.) has been spent on private Members' Bills (not including 10 minute rule motions).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Agriculture and Rural Development (Appeals)

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the decisions of the independent panel which deals with appeals against decisions made by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are binding.

Angela Smith: The independent Grants and Subsidies' Panel makes a formal recommendation to the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development. Their recommendation is not binding and the final decision rests with the Minister.

Agriculture and Rural Development (Appeals)

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the (a) remit and (b) powers of the independent panel which deals with appeals against decisions made by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The remit of the independent Grants and Subsidies Panel is to review decisions made by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development against the relevant European and UK legislation and to consider whether the Department's decision is consistent with this. The panel is asked to reach a conclusion and to make a formal recommendation to the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development on their findings. The power to make the final decision in respect of appeal cases rests with the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 897W, on antisocial behaviour orders, which councils sent officers for training in (a) June and (b) January and February 2005; and which policing divisions sent personnel for training in January and February 2005.

David Hanson: All 26 councils sent officers for training in January and February 2005. All councils, with the exception of Armagh and Castlereagh, sent officers for training in June 2005.
	All 29 PSNI District Command Units sent personnel for training in January and February 2005.

Child Support Agency

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters from hon. Members to the Child Support Agency in Northern Ireland did not receive a full answer within 21 working days in the last 24 months.

David Hanson: The Agency received 29 queries from Northern Ireland hon. Members in the last 24 months. Thirteen of these received a full response within the Agency's target of 20 working days. Fifteen received an interim response within 20 days and a full response within 30 days. One response is outstanding.

Compensation Claims

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many claims for compensation were lodged against his Department arising out of terrorist incidents at (a) the Royal group of hospitals, (b) the Mater hospital, (c) the Ulster hospital and (d) the City hospital between 1995 and 1998; and what the outcome was in each case.

David Hanson: The chief executive of the Compensation Agency has advised me that it is not possible to ascertain from the Agency database any meaningful information regarding the motive behind any incident which gave rise to a claim. If however the hon. Gentleman wishes to follow up on this he may wish to make more specific inquiries with the chief executive of the Compensation Agency who will be pleased to help him.

Consultant Radiologists

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has (a) to review the training and (b) to conduct retraining of consultant radiologists in relation to breast cancer following recent incidents of misdiagnosis; and what funding is available for this initiative.

Shaun Woodward: The Department is awaiting the findings of an independent investigation by the HPSS Regional Quality and Improvement Authority (RQIA), which is expected in early March 2006. These findings, along with those of the recently published Report on a Review of Breast Imaging, will inform the Department's decision as to whether a full review of Consultant Radiologists training is required, and the possible funding requirements.

Disabled Parking

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2006, Official Report, column 1257W, on disabled parking, where the revenue raised by these fines was allocated.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Revenue collected through fines incurred by disabled parking offences is allocated to the Consolidated Fund and paid to HM Treasury.

Domestic Rates

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average percentage change per household in regional and district combined domestic rates in each of the council areas in Northern Ireland for 200607.

Angela Smith: Estimates of the overall domestic rates in each of the council areas are not available at the moment as not all councils have set their rates for 200607. It is expected that this information will be available shortly after the 15 February when all councils should have struck their rates. This information will be placed in the Library when available.

Domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was raised in net revenue from domestic rates in Northern Ireland in each year since 199798; and what the estimate is for 200506.

Angela Smith: The net amount collected from domestic rates for each of the years from 1997 to 200405 and the estimated net amount that will be collected for 200506 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 166.5 
			 199899 182.5 
			 19992000 201.9 
			 200001 222.9 
			 200102 244.5 
			 200203 271 
			 200304 299.1 
			 200405 328.4 
			 200506 361.2

Domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the annual net revenue to be raised from domestic rates in Northern Ireland following rates revaluation.

Angela Smith: The revaluation of domestic properties in Northern Ireland, from rental (NAV) to capital value based approach, will operate from 1 April 2007. The revaluation exercise, in itself, is a revenue neutral one, with the sole purpose of redistributing the rating burden between households in a fairer way.
	The priorities and budget 200608 proposed a 6 per cent. increase in the domestic regional rate for 200708, this will constitute an estimated 270 million in domestic regional rate revenue.
	Revenue from domestic district rates cannot be estimated as this will be a result of the district rate increases determined by the district councils in February 2007.

Home Start

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 900W, on Home Start, whether indicative funding allocations to the Home Start project for the 200506 financial year are available.

Shaun Woodward: DHSSPS has allocated approximately 45,000 funding for Home Start in Northern Ireland to assist its administration for the 200506 financial year. The Home Start programme is mainly delivered in Northern Ireland through HSS Trusts and Surestart. The total funding allocation for 200506 will not be available until the end of the financial year. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information as soon as it is available and place a copy in the Library.

Industrial De-rating

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the change in net revenue following the termination of industrial de-rating in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The removal of industrial de-rating commenced on 1 April 2005 and will be phased out over seven years.
	The following table displays the percentage of rate liability and the estimated regional revenue, using the announced 3.3 per cent. increases in the non-domestic regional rates.
	
		
			  Rate liability (percentage) Estimated regional revenue ( million) 
		
		
			 200506 15 6 
			 200607 25 10 
			 200708 35 15 
		
	
	These figures will be revised as properties, occupiers and associated valuations change.
	Beyond 200708 revenues will be determined by the non-domestic rate increases established by priorities and budget.
	District rate revenue can only be estimated for 200506 as future years depend on district rate increases decided annually. The estimated district rate revenue for 200506 is 4 million.

Invoices (Non-payment)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total amount of credit lost to each Department in Northern Ireland through failure to pay invoices within the stated deadline was in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Knife Amnesty

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce in Northern Ireland a knives amnesty along the lines of that operating in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: As I indicated in my public statement on 9 February I am currently looking at a scheme that will allow the public to surrender knives in Northern Ireland. In particular I am considering together with the relevant agencies, the legal ramifications of such a scheme and wish to take advice before making any further public announcement.
	The Government are committed to tackling knife crime in Northern Ireland. We are working very closely with the police and other agencies to put in place a comprehensive programme to deal with this serious issue. In addition changes will be made to the legislation governing the sale of knives through the violent Crime Reduction Bill.

Knife Crimes

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on tackling knife crimes; and what steps he is taking to tackle knife crime;
	(2)  whether he plans to introduce a knives amnesty for Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: As I indicated in my public statement on 9 February I am currently working in partnership with the police to devise a comprehensive strategy to tackle knife crime. In addition to changes in the legislation governing the sale of knives through the Violent Crime Reduction Bill, we are considering an education package for young people and a public information campaign. The police will also take forward an enhanced enforcement strategy for dealing with knife crime.
	I am also considering a scheme that will allow the public to surrender knives in Northern Ireland. In particular I am considering together with the relevant agencies, the legal ramifications of such a scheme and wish to take advice before making any further public announcement.

Lisanelly Barracks

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he made of the merits of including the Lisanelly barracks site in Omagh in the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative; and if he will make a statement on the proposals for the site.

Angela Smith: The Reinvestment and Reform Initiative (RRI) announced in May 2002 included an arrangement whereby some former security sites transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive free of charge for economic and social regeneration. There is no scope to include sites that are additional to requirements under this RRI arrangement as the Ministry of Defence's policy is to dispose of such sites at market value.
	Lisanelly barracks is owned by the Ministry of Defence and any proposals for the site are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Defence. Officials in Defence Estates, a division within MOD with responsibility for the disposal of the Lisanelly barracks, are currently considering arrangements for the disposal of the site.

Multiple Sclerosis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when each of the multiple sclerosis patients waiting to commence (a) beta interferon and (b) glatiramer in the Southern Health Board area was placed to the waiting list.

Shaun Woodward: Personal patient information such as the date an individual is placed on a waiting list cannot be provided without a patient's consent. However, the number of Southern Health and Social Services Board patients waiting for disease modifying treatment for MS and the time band within which they were placed on the waiting list is detailed in the table. The decision as to which disease modifying product a patient receives is not determined at the time they are placed on the list.
	
		
			 Dates Number of patients(20) 
		
		
			 1 August-31 October 2004 2 
			 1 November 200431 January 2005 2 
			 1 February-3 April 2005 3 
			 1 May-31 July 2005 2 
			 1 August-31 October 2005 6 
			 1 November 200531 January 2006 2 
		
	
	(20) Information at 31 January 2006

Multiple Sclerosis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many multiple sclerosis patients have commenced beta interferon or glatiramer treatment in the Southern Health Board area in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The number of patients, resident in the Southern Board area that have commenced beta interferon or glatiramer treatment in each of the last five years is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Number of patients commencing beta interferon/glatiramer treatment in Southern Board area 
		
		
			 2001 16 
			 2002 12 
			 2003 25 
			 2004 13 
			 2005 6 
		
	
	Source:
	Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust

Post-primary Education Consultation

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Government will extend the final submission date for the public consultation on post-primary education to take account of the recent postal strike in Belfast.

Angela Smith: I have looked at this very carefully to ensure that no-one will be disadvantaged.
	Parts of Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland were unaffected by the recent postal dispute. I understand that, following the end of the dispute, post is being delivered as normal, alongside the work to clear the backlog. If the backlog is not cleared by the closing date of 7 March, the Department of Education will accept postal responses received after that date until the backlog is cleared. The situation is being kept under review.
	During the dispute the Department of Education issued a number of response booklets to members of the public with addresses in the affected areas. As they were unlikely to have been delivered, the Department issued duplicates after the dispute ended so that those involved could return them by 7 March.
	I would encourage all who wish to respond to the consultation to submit their comments by the closing date.

Renewable Energy

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of electricity was obtained from renewable energy sources by public sector buildings in Northern Ireland in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005.

Angela Smith: The percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources obtained by public sector buildings in Northern Ireland for the years in question is as follows:
	
		
			 Year ending Percentage 
		
		
			 31 March 2003 7 
			 31 March 2004 24 
			 31 March 2005 28

Speeding Fines

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many speeding fines in Belfast's (a) East, (b) South, (c) West and (d) North district command units remained unpaid in the last year for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Speeding fines for the period 1 January to 31 December 2005 which remain unpaid
		
			 District Command Unit Number of unpaid speeding fines 
		
		
			 East Belfast 467 
			 South Belfast 170 
			 West Belfast 101 
			 North Belfast 317

Tourism

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new jobs were created in the tourism sector in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: Information on the number of jobs created in the tourism sector is not available. However, figures from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) can be used to estimate the net change in employee jobs. Latest figures from the September 2005 QES estimated that there were 51,290 employee jobs in sectors related to tourism and leisure activities in Northern Ireland. This represented a net increase of 950 jobs from the figure for September 2004.
	The number of employee jobs in the tourism and leisure sector in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years and the net increase/decrease from the previous year is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of employee jobs in tourism and leisure(21) in Northern Ireland at September each year 1996 to 2005 and the net increase/decrease from previous year
		
			   Number of employee jobs Net increase/decrease from previous year 
		
		
			 September 1996 35,850 +2,070 
			 September 1997 38,500 +2,650 
			 September 1998 43,340 +4,840 
			 September 1999 44,950 +1,600 
			 September 2000 47,050 +2,110 
			 September 2001 48,490 +1,430 
			 September 2002 49,900 +1,410 
			 September 2003 49,270 -630 
			 September 2004 50,350 +1,070 
			 September 2005 51,290 +950 
		
	
	(21) The standard industrial classification (SIC) codes which are taken to comprise the tourism and leisure sector and their description are as follows: 551 Hotels; 552 Camping Sites and Other Provision of Short-Stay Accommodation; 553 Restaurants; 554 Bars; 633 Activities of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators, Tourist Assistance Activities not Elsewhere Classified; 925 Libraries, Archives, Museums and Other Cultural Activities; 926 Sporting Activities; 927 Other Recreational Activities.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	Quarterly Employment Survey, DETI

HEALTH

Alzheimer's Disease

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the (a) safety and (b) efficacy of memantine for use with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease patients; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Memantine was approved for marketing throughout the European Community in May 2002 under the brand names Axura and Ebixa for the treatment of patients with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease. This regulatory approval was based on evidence of satisfactory product quality, safety and efficacy and that the benefit/risk profile of the product was favourable when treating this disease.
	The approval process was carried out by teams of experts within the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products under a community regulatory procedure and lead by experts from Spain and Portugal.
	Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on memantine and other drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease is expected to be issued later this year.

Alzheimer's Disease

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the method of measuring quality of life undertaken by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for patients with Alzheimer's disease is based on a scale that has been validated for use in people with dementia.

Jane Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) uses a standardised and validated generic (non-disease specific) method for its technology appraisals in order to make direct comparisons between outcomes of various treatments for patients with different health problems.
	The methods NICE follows for developing its guidance are set out in its Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisals, and consults regularly on these methods with stakeholders including organisations representing health care professionals and patients. The guidance is available on NICE'S website at www.nice.org.uk.

Alzheimer's Disease

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's policy is on the provision of drug treatments on the NHS for those in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Jane Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance to the national health service in January 2001 on the use of three drugsAricept, Exelon and Reminyl for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. NICE recommended that these three drugs should be made available to the NHS as one component of the management of people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
	NICE'S consultation on revised draft guidance following a routine review of the effectiveness of these drugs ended on 13 February and they are now in the process of considering the responses. Until NICE issues final guidance to the NHS, the original 2001 guidance on anti-dementia drugs remains extant.

Ambulance Staff (Abuse)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many violent incidents there have been involving staff of the East Anglian Ambulance Service in the course of their duties in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: A table outlining the estimated number of reported violent incidents collected by the Department for 200001, 200102, 200203 for each strategic health authority (SHA), national health service trust and primary care trust (PCT) in England is available in the Library.
	The NHS Security Management Service has collected data on the number of physical assaults on NHS staff in England for the period 200405. The figure for assaults in the ambulance service was 1,329.
	A breakdown of figures for each SHA, NHS trust and PCT in England for the year 200405 will be released shortly.

Breast Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the additional pathology capacity which would be necessary to test all women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer for HER2 status.

Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1471W.

Audiologists

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS audiologists there are in Bedfordshire; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The number of medical and non-medical staff as at 30 September 2004, the latest data available, within the audiological medicine speciality within Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire strategic health authority (SHA), by organisation is shown in the following table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services: Qualified audiology non-medical staff and medical staff within the audiological medicine specialty within Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA by organisation. As at 30 September 2004 -- Number (headcount)
		
			of which: 
			  Qualified non-medical staff All medical staff Consultant Associate Specialist staff grade 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 30 3 2 1 
			 of which: 
			  
			 Bedford hospitals 
			 National health service trust 5 0 0 0 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS trust 13 2 2 0 
			 Hertfordshire Partnership NHS trust 1 1 0 1 
			 Luton and Dunstable hospital NHS trust 3 0 0 0 
			 Luton primary care trust 3 0 0 0 
			 West Hertfordshire hospitals NHS trust 5 0 0 0 
		
	
	Sources :
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census 2004
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census

Cadaveric Donations

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cadaveric donations of organs there were in England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what the refusal rate was of families asked if they would permit cadaveric donation in each year.

Rosie Winterton: The number of cadaveric donors who have donated organs in the last 10 years is shown in the table.
	
		Deceased organ donors in England, 19962005
		
			  Donors 
		
		
			 1996 668 
			 1997 689 
			 1998 620 
			 1999 617 
			 2000 653 
			 2001 640 
			 2002 652 
			 2003 599 
			 2004 683 
			 2005 633 
		
	
	UK Transplant's national potential donor audit began in January 2003, as part of a series of measures to improve organ donation. All patients for whom death was diagnosed following brain stem tests can be identified. The reasons why potential donors did not become actual solid organ donors can then be investigated. Validated data from 1 April 2003 to 31 December 2004 show that 40 per cent. of the 2,051 families who were approached did not give their consent for heartbeating solid organ donation.

Cervical Smear Tests

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of women received the results of their cervical smear test from their primary care trust (a) within four weeks, (b) between four and six weeks and (c) over three weeks from time of screening in England in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Percentage
		
			  Weeks 
			  Less than four Four to six Over six 
		
		
			 19992000 32 27 41 
			 200001 32 28 40 
			 200102 25 25 50 
			 200203 33 25 42 
			 200304 38 29 33 
			 200405 29 28 43 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information about the time from the taking of a sample to the notification of the test result is currently available only where the result letter is sent by the primary care organisation. In 200405, this was reported as occurring in 89 per cent. of cases overall.
	2. Information on waiting times for results of cervical screening tests was first published in 19992000. Information before this date is not held centrally.
	Source:
	Statistical Bulletin: Cervical Screening Programme, England: 19992000, 200001, 200102, 200203, 200304, 200405
	The increase in waiting times for results for 200405 are the result of laboratories converting to liquid based cytology, and the retraining of staff this entails.

Colon Cancer

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the reasons underlying the lower survival rate for colon cancer in England than in (a) Germany and (b) the United States of America.

Rosie Winterton: Although no direct comparison between Germany and the United States of America has been made The Cancer Atlas, published by the Office for National Statistics in 2005, sets out the possible causes and risk factors for developing colorectal cancer.
	These include a diet low in vegetables or high in meat, lack of physical exercise, obesity and smoking. The Cancer Atlas also notes that the increase in colorectal incidence may be due partly to changing referral practices or increased patient awareness, leading to an increase in colonic investigations finding colorectal cancers which may not have been diagnosed during the patient's lifetime.
	Five-year survival rates from colorectal cancer in England are improving, from 38.8 per cent. for the years 1986 to 1990 to 49.8 per cent. for the years 1996 to 2001.

Defibrillators

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her opinion piece in The Independent on 19 January, what the evidential basis is for her statement that 681 defibrillators have saved 68 lives so far; when the defibrillators began to be installed in railway stations and airports; at what cost the defibrillators were installed; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: In July 1999, the White Paper, Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation announced the Government's intention to invest 1 million in installing automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in busy public places such as railway stations, airports, coach stations and ferry ports. A further 1 million was then committed to training people employed at the site in their use and in basic life support.
	In April 2000, the Metro Centre shopping complex was the first public place in which AEDs were installed. Nine further public places (sites) received AEDs, completing the pilot phase of the programme and in November 2002, phase one of the programme was completed. This resulted in 110 sites receiving 681 AEDs and over 6,050 people receiving training in basic life support skills and the use of an AED. These AEDs were mainstreamed to the national health service as of 1 February 2005.
	Evidence suggests that 71 lives have been saved as a result of the programme. This information is derived from stakeholders; sites report incident activity to the manager of the national defibrillator programme within 48 hours. On notification from a site or the Department, the manufacturers download data from the AED and forward to the Department within 72 hours. The manager then liaises with ambulance trusts and receiving hospitals, as the download data can be used for diagnosis and follow up treatment if the resuscitation has been successful. Patient confidentiality precludes the Department from insisting on identification and outcomes of the patients so the actual survival rates could be much higher.

Dementia

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned on (i) Alzheimer's disease and (ii) senile dementia.

Jane Kennedy: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	The Department funds research through its national research programmes that supports policy and provides the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service. National programme projects related to Alzheimer's disease and other dementia planned, in hand, and recently completed, include:
	a systematic review of injury prevention programmes and strategies for older people with cognitive impairment and dementia in hospital and care home settings;
	a cross-cultural qualitative study on improving access to care for people with dementia and their carers;
	the development of a new instrument and an evaluation of current methodology for the measurement of health-related quality of life for people with dementia;
	a technology assessment report on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and memantine for Alzheimer's disease;
	a systematic review of interventions to prevent wandering in dementia and evaluation of the ethical implications and acceptability of their use;
	a randomised controlled trial to explore whether befriending by trained lay workers improves psychological well-being and quality of life for carers of people with dementia, and at what cost; and
	a health technology assessment study of antidepressants for depression in dementia via a definitive multi-centre pragmatic randomised controlled trial of clinical and cost-effectiveness.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects, including a large number concerned with dementia, can be found on the national research register on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have been registered with the General Dental Council in England in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The General Dental Council (GDC), which is responsible for the registration of dentists, is a United Kingdom wide regulator and does not separately record registrations by the constituent countries within the UK.
	The number of dentists registered with the GDC across the UK each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Dentists registered 
		
		
			 1997 29,055 
			 1998 29,951 
			 1999 31,029 
			 2000 31,577 
			 2001 31,827 
			 2002 31,932 
			 2003 32,517 
			 2004 31,813 
			 2005 33,631

Dentistry

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in each local authority in England accepted NHS patients in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 November 2005
	Information on the number of dental practices which provided care for national health service patients since 1997, by local authority, has been placed in the Library. We do not hold information on how many of these practices were accepting new patients during this period.

Dentistry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were registered in each of the last 30 years.

Rosie Winterton: The number of dentists registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) across the United Kingdom each year since 1975 as at 31 December is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Total number of dentists 
		
		
			 1975 19,543 
			 1976 19,956 
			 1977 20,383 
			 1978 20,636 
			 1979 21,237 
			 1980 21,845 
			 1981 22,468 
			 1982 23,195 
			 1983 23,796 
			 1984 24,410 
			 1985 24,592 
			 1986 24,850 
			 1987 25,286 
			 1988 25,542 
			 1989 25,918 
			 1990 26,320 
			 1991 26,561 
			 1992 27,068 
			 1993 27,617 
			 1994 27,472 
			 1995 27,957 
			 1996 28,505 
			 1997 29,055 
			 1998 29,951 
			 1999 31,029 
			 2000 31,577 
			 2001 31,827 
			 2002 31,932 
			 2003 32,517 
			 2004 32,757 
			 2005 33,698

Dentistry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is planning to take to ensure NHS dental provision for the elderly in England.

Rosie Winterton: There has been a major improvement in the oral health of adults. The 1998 National Adult Dental Health survey showed that the proportion of adults with no natural teeth had fallen from 37 per cent. in 1968 to 12 per cent. in 1998. However, as was recognised in the 'Report of the Primary Care Dental Workforce Review' published in 2004, people who keep their teeth have a greater need for oral hygiene advice and restorative dental treatment. This additional demand was one of the reasons why, in response to the report, we took measures to expand the dental work force by recruiting the equivalent of over 1,400 whole-time national health service dentists (comparing October 2005 with April 2004) and providing for an extra 170 dental training places each year from 2005.

Dentistry

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2139W, on dentistry, if she will provide a breakdown of the new NHS dentists by nationality.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 25 January 2006
	Data on dentists' nationality are not held centrally. The table provides information on the numbers of complete new entrant general dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS) dentists, who have joined the GDS or PDS in England, by country of qualification as at 30 September each year.
	
		
			 Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Australia 39 25 31 18 12 
			 Belgium 6 3 1 2 5 
			 Czech Republic 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Denmark 20 14 16 12 10 
			 Finland 5 8 13 1 3 
			 France 4 1 5 0 4 
			 Germany 15 17 24 37 68 
			 Greece 19 26 37 52 81 
			 Hong Kong 0 1 0 0 3 
			 Iceland 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Ireland 36 44 49 41 38 
			 Italy 5 7 5 11 17 
			 Latvia 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Malaysia 6 4 5 12 7 
			 Malta 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Netherlands 0 1 1 4 0 
			 New Zealand 32 18 15 12 15 
			 Norway 8 3 3 2 3 
			 Poland 0 0 0 5 312 
			 Portugal 1 1 2 14 46 
			 South Africa 123 146 94 92 50 
			 Spain 0 5 11 34 65 
			 Sweden 121 79 67 72 64 
			 United Kingdom 1,271 1,110 1,065 1,096 1,063 
			 Unknown(22) 41 36 65 102 260 
		
	
	(22) Unknown dentists include dentists whose status is shown as awaiting entry or statutory exams. Awaiting entry means the dentist did not identify his or her country of qualification when requesting the opening of a new contract. Generally, these are replaced with the genuine country of qualification within weeks. Statutory exam indicates the exam taken by dentists whose home qualification is not recognised by the UK. By its nature, it does not specify a country of qualification but confirms that it is different from all country-specific qualifications.
	Notes:
	1. Complete new entrant means the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year.
	2. Data includes all notifications, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 3 November 2005. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example, data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists leaving the GDS or PDS.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists are on the current NHS dental contract in each primary care trust in England.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists providing general dental services and personal dental services in each primary care trust has been placed in the Library.

Dentistry

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that all children are being covered by NHS dental care provision.

Rosie Winterton: Dentists working in the salaried primary care dental services examine schoolchildren at least three times in their school career. They also contribute to regular surveys, which have shown that the oral health of children is improving.
	Where dentists advise that treatment is necessary, children under 16 and young people aged 16, 17 and 18 who are in full-time education are exempt from charges for national health service dental treatment.
	Recent and on-going action to improve access to NHS dentistry, including the recruitment of the equivalent of over 1,450 additional dentists, the establishment of a new university dental school and the introduction of local commissioning responsibilities for primary care trusts, will benefit both children and their families.

Dentistry

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has met the British Dental Association over the past six months to discuss the NHS Dental Contracts.

Rosie Winterton: I met the British Dental Association, on 14 February 2006 to discuss the new contracts.

Dentistry

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adults and children in England were registered with an NHS dentist in each year since 1997 in each primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Dentistry

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were in the Bournemouth area in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The number of national health service dentists within Bournemouth teaching primary care trust (PCT) and Poole PCT as at 30 September each year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Bournemouth teaching PCT  Poole PCT 
		
		
			 2001 72 81 
			 2002 76 84 
			 2003 71 106 
			 2004 70 110 
			 2005 74 109 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data includes all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS), received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 19 October 2005. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example, data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS.
	2. Dentists include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded from the data.
	3. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory.
	4. An individual dentist may have a contract with more than one PCT, in which case he or she will appear in figures for each PCT with which he or she holds a contract.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the time taken by primary care trusts to finalise contracts with dentists.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) have until 31 March to finalise new general dental services contracts or personal dental services agreements with dentists, although both PCTs and dentists have been encouraged to sign contracts by the end of February wherever possible to ensure that the first monthly payments under the new arrangements can be made in time.

Dentistry

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the decision of Warrington Primary Care Trust not to fund extra dentistry in Culcheth.

Rosie Winterton: Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority reports that a time-limited arrangement, agreed between Warrington Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the Culcheth Village Dental Practice, has seen a second dentist at the practice since August 2005. The dentist has been salaried through short-term funding, allocated by the Department in October 2005 which ends on 31 March 2006. From April 2006, the national health service will be implementing major reforms to dentistry. New contracts for dentists will abolish the traditional fee per item remuneration system and support new ways of working with a greater focus on preventative care. Evidence from personal dental services pilot schemes is that these new ways of working free up significant capacity that dentists can then use in part to see a greater range of patients.

Dentistry

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 9 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1718WS, on national health service dentistry, what the headcount figure is for dentists which results in the figure of 622 whole-time equivalents.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available as the data were not collected in this format.

Doctors (Suspensions)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors have been suspended for six months or more in each quarter since April 2001; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of suspensions of doctors in the last full year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Departmental figures show that, from 2000, approximately 30 doctors were suspended at any one time for six months or more. National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) figures show that for the first three quarters of 2004, 21 doctors were excluded at any one time, and 19 in quarter four. Long-term suspensionsdoctors or dentists formally excluded from work for six months or morehave reduced by almost half to about 20 at any one time in 2004. The figures for 2005 will be published by NCAS in the spring. Data on the cost of exclusions are not collected centrally. The National Audit Office in their report, The Management of Suspensions of Clinical Staff in NHS Hospital and Ambulance Trusts in England, estimated that the average cost of excluding a doctor was 188,000.

Eating Disorders

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned on the (a) recognition and (b) referral mechanism for eating disorders by (i) general practitioners and (ii) other health professionals.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not commissioned research on the recognition and referral mechanism for eating disorders by general practitioners and other health professionals. However, clinical guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in January 2004 provide recommendations for healthcare professionals on core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders in primary, secondary and tertiary care. The guidelines are available on NICE'S website at www.nice.org.uk/pdf/cg009niceguidance.pdf.
	Notes
	1. PDS schemes have varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations are estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the past 15 months. There will be a break in the registrations series at the point at which PDS schemes were introduced as the proxy registrations build up. Falls in registration rates will be particularly pronounced in the financial year 200405, when the majority of PDS schemes were introduced.
	2. Data for 2003 and earlier do not include those PDS schemes that do not have any registrations, for example, dental access centres, and is therefore not directly comparable with 2004 and 2005 data.
	Source
	Dental Practice Board

Erythropoietin

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is expected to make its final decision on whether it will recommend the use of erythropoietin.

Jane Kennedy: I understand that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is likely to publish its final guidance on the use of erythropoietin for the management of anaemia induced by cancer treatment in May 2006. Further information is available from NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk.

Free Eye Examinations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to delegate responsibility for determining eligibility for free eye examinations to individual primary care trusts.

Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to delegate responsibility for determining eligibility for free eye tests to primary care trusts.

Gambling Addiction

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what gambling addiction services are available in Cambridgeshire.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Gulf War-related Illnesses

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals are the main centres for the treatment of Gulf War-related illnesses.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not designated any national health service hospitals as main centres for the treatment of ex-service personnel returning from military conflict. Local NHS bodies have a responsibility to provide services to meet the health needs of all those who are eligible for treatment including ex-service personnel.

Gulf War-related Illnesses

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government guidelines are available to (a) general practitioners, (b) neurologists and (c) other medical carers for the treatment of ex-service personnel suffering Gulf War-related illnesses.

Rosie Winterton: No guidelines have been issued specifically for the treatment of ex-service personnel returning from military conflict. Clinical guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence provide recommendations in the treatment of various health problems including those that may be experienced by ex-service personnel returning from military conflict.

Haemodynamic Fluid Optimisation

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will instruct the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to conduct an appraisal of haemodynamic fluid optimisation.

Jane Kennedy: There are no plans at present for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to undertake an appraisal of haemodynamic fluid optimisation.

Health Budget

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of Mr. Richard Douglas to the Health Committee on 6 December 2005, HC (200506) 736-i, on public expenditure on health and personal social services 2005, question 318, what the control totals are which sum to 200 million, broken down by strategic health authority; and which of her Department's budgets will be underspent to finance the NHS deficit anticipated for the 200506 financial year;
	(2)  if she will list the control totals the Department has agreed with each strategic health authority for financial year 200506.

Jane Kennedy: Control totals are an internal financial management tool used for the operational management of the national health service. The reason for having control totals is to bring strategic health authorities (SHAs) as close as possible to financial balance.
	The control totals are set in agreement with SHAs. They are used to inform performance management discussions across SHAs' health economies. It would be inappropriate to publish the control totals during the financial year, as it may have implications for performance discussions held with NHS organisations, and the ability of the Department and all SHAs to discharge their performance management function.
	In 200506, spending control totals have been issued to the Department's three business groups. These have not been translated into individual budget underspends. The overall central programme is on target to deliver savings.

Health Care (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the provision of sexual health services in Tamworth.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, are responsible for planning and developing services to meet the health needs of local people. Burntwood, Litchfield and Tamworth PCT is responsible for commissioning health services for residents of Tamworth.

Health Care (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant midwife posts there are in (a) the Staffordshire and Shropshire Strategic Health Authority area and (b) the Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust area; and what plans her Department has to recruit more midwives into the NHS in Staffordshire.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the three-month vacancy rates for qualified midwives in the Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area by organisation, including the Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust (PCT) area.
	PCTs, working together with their local acute trust partners, are responsible for determining local workforce requirements, including numbers of midwives.
	
		National health service three-month qualified midwifery vacancies in Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA area by organisation: Three-month vacancy ratesnumbers and staff in post
		
			  March 2005 September 2004 
			  Three-month vacancy rate (percentage) Three-month vacancy number (Staff in post) full-time equivalent (Staff in post) Headcount 
		
		
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA area total 0.4 2 519 683 
			  
			 Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT  0 0 0 
			 Burton Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 101 132 
			 Cannock Chase PCT  0 0 0 
			 East Staffordshire PCT  0 0 0 
			 Mid-Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 78 92 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme PCT  0 0 0 
			 North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust  0 0 0 
			 North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust 1.1 2 178 227 
			 North Stoke PCT  0 0 0 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital  NHS Trust  0 0 0 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust  0 162 232 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA  0 0 0 
			 Shropshire County PCT  0 0 0 
			 South Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust  0 0 0 
			 South Stoke PCT  0 0 0 
			 South Western Staffordshire PCT  0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust  0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands PCT  0 0 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT  0 0 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	Three-month vacancy
	1. Three-month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2005.
	2. Three-month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	3. Three-month vacancy rates are three-month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three-month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Three-month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.
	5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	6.  zero.
	Staff in post
	Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2004.
	General
	1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	4. SHA figures are based on trusts and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of health care.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey, March 2005
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2004

Health Care (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges were in acute hospitals serving the Tamworth area in the last 12 months; and how many acute hospital bed nights these represented.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the table shows the number of delayed discharges in the last 12 months at the Mid-Staffordshire General Hospitals National Health Service Trust.
	
		Acute delayed transfers of care, Mid-Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust
		
			 Month Delayed transfers of care Number of days delayed 
		
		
			 February 2005 3 152 
			 March 2005 5 168 
			 April 2005 13 313 
			 May 2005 9 283 
			 June 2005 2 249 
			 July 2005 6 127 
			 August 2005 13 240 
			 September 2005 14 312 
			 October 2005 7 285 
			 November 2005 12 291 
			 December 2005 12 401 
			 January 2006 11 175 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data in the table is taken from local monitoring of delayed discharges included in the SITREPs collection. The delayed transfers of care figures are based on a snapshot taken on the last typical Thursday in the month. This differs to the day used in the separate, quarterly LDPR commissioner collections on which the figures published in the Statistical Supplement to the Chief Executive's Report to the NHS, December 2005 are based. The number of days delayed sums all delays in the month.
	2. Due to the way the data are collected, the number of days delayed data for March 2005, June 2005, September 2005 and December 2005 are based on five weeks' dataall other months are based on four weeks' data.
	Source:
	SitReps

Health Reform in England; Update and Next Steps

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether, in the proposed NHS reforms outlined in Health Reform in England; update and next steps she intends that treatment for a terminally ill patient will be supported by the tariff to be used to enable the system of payment by results regardless of how quickly or slowly the patient's health deteriorates.

Rosie Winterton: Payment by results is a prospective payment system whereby providers are funded according to the number and complexity of cases treated and on the basis of a national tariff. However, in 2006, payment by results only applies to acute hospital services provided by national health service trusts and foundation trusts. Local commissioning arrangements continue to apply to services outside the scope of payment by results, including palliative care.

Health Service Funding

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding her Department provided for treatments for (a) cancer and (b) breast cancer in (i) Leicester and (ii) England since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: We do not hold information centrally on the treatment of cancer patients. It is for individual primary care trusts to decide the level of funding they allocate locally for the treatment of cancer patients within their population.

Health Services (Wakefield)

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were employed by Wakefield West Primary Care Trust in each year from 1997 to 2005.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Numbers of dentists within Wakefield West Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 30 September each year
		
			  Wakefield West PCT 
		
		
			 1997 40 
			 1998 47 
			 1999 48 
			 2000 47 
			 2001 50 
			 2002 49 
			 2003 56 
			 2004 49 
			 2005 50 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data includes all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 19 October 2005. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example, data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS.
	2. Dentists include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded from the data.
	3. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Herceptin

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1340W, on Herceptin, if she will ensure that the action plans submitted by each of the 34 cancer networks to her Department in November 2005 on how they will implement HER2 testing are (a) made public and (b) placed in the Library.

Rosie Winterton: I regret that my reply on Thursday 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1340W on Herceptin was incorrect. The term action plans should not have been used in the reply.
	Cancer networks were asked to develop proposals (action plans) to implement HER2 testing, but they were not asked to submit these to the Department.
	Cancer networks were also asked to establish a baseline of their current position on HER2 testing, that is the percentage of women currently being tested. A proforma for networks to complete this baseline assessment along with an outline proposal for developing HER2 testing was circulated. It was this proforma that was returned by cancer networks to the cancer action team. The proformas are currently being analysed and a summary will be made available in due course.

Herceptin

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1340W, on Herceptin, whether similar action plans will be published on the prescription of Herceptin and related capacity factors.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has no plans to ask cancer networks to develop action plans on the prescription of Herceptin and related capacity matters.

HIV Treatment

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the availability of HIV treatment for pregnant women whose migrant status is undetermined.

Rosie Winterton: Anyone who is not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom is subject to the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended and will be liable to pay for any hospital treatment they receive unless they meet the criteria for one of several exemption categories listed in the regulations.
	Initial diagnostic testing for HIV and any associated counselling are free to all irrespective of residency status. However, HIV/AIDS treatment is not, and a chargeable overseas visitor who receives HIV/AIDS treatment should be charged for it.
	Guidance to the national health service is clear that treatment which, in a clinical opinion, is immediately necessary must not be withheld or delayed because of doubts about a person's chargeable status or their ability to pay. Because of the risks to both mother and baby maternity services should always be considered to be immediately necessary and never withheld. This can include treatment to prevent HIV transmission between mother and baby if that is considered to be clinically appropriate.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the press release issued by her Department on 6 February 2006, which 20 trusts will receive support to reduce rates of MRSA and hospital-acquired infections during 2006; who will staff the support teams visiting hospitals with high infection rates; whether these staff will be remunerated by (a) her Department, (b) NHS organisations and (c) other sources of funding; what the total cost of operating these support teams will be in (i) 200506 and (ii) 200607; what specialist support these support teams will provide to trusts with high MRSA rates; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has set up specialist, targeted support (improvement teams) to reinforce those initiatives already in place throughout the national health service, which aim to reduce health care associated infections.
	The teams will work with trusts that are furthest away from their Methicillin resistant Staphlococcus aureus (MRSA) reduction target. Work has begun with three trusts that were first to volunteer to pilot the support programmeSandwell and West Birmingham, Northumbria, and Aintree NHS Trusts. The teams will move on to support up to 17 further trusts during 200607. Selection will depend on progress towards the MRSA target and other factors. We will announce the additional trusts to join the programme at stages in 2006.
	The teams comprise; a programme manager, programme analyst, infection control practitioner and specialist director for infection and prevention control/microbiologist. Staff will be remunerated through contractual arrangements with the Department.
	The cost of the overall programme of support depends upon the level and complexity of the NHS's support requirements and these are presently being calculatedbased upon the outcome of the teams' diagnostic work with the three pilot sites. The Department will have calculated the likely cost of support teams by the end of the current financial year.
	The objective is to assist trusts in diagnosing those issues which prevent reduction in infections and to develop practical action plans that speed-up progress. The teams will help trusts deliver such plans and put in place management/support arrangements that facilitate sustained improvement.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total research budget for developing research into medicines and treatment for (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital acquired infections, in each of the past 10 years.

Jane Kennedy: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology. Much of the funding for new drug development is provided by the pharmaceutical industry.
	The MRC funds a considerable programme of research that underpins scientific understanding of hospital acquired infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other antibiotic resistant pathogens. Within this portfolio there are currently no studies exclusive to MRSA.
	The Department has for some years recognised the importance of the control of hospital acquired infection, and the threat to public health posed by the increase in antimicrobial resistance. As part of a wide-ranging approach to these issues, the Department set up an advisory group to identify research priorities in 1999. The group's report, published in 2001, made recommendations for future research that led to a research programme that is currently underway.
	In 2003, the Department published Winning Waysworking together to reduce healthcare associated infection in England, a report that laid out a strategic approach to dealing with health care associated infections, including recommendations for further research. The report placed particular emphasis on activity aimed at preventing the occurrence and spread of infection.
	Currently available expenditure figures on MRC and Department's policy research programme research into hospital acquired infections are shown in the following table.
	
		 million
		
			  Department of Health  MRC 
		
		
			 199596 0.040 0.481 
			 199697 0.130 0.331 
			 199798 0.160 0.226 
			 199899 0.255 0.483 
			 19992000 0.190 0.262 
			 200001 0.030 1.6 
			 200102 0.020 1.7 
			 200203 0.130 0.898 
			 200304 0.160 0.767

Insulin

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents involving incorrect insulin doses have occurred in hospitals in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in the death of a patient.

Rosie Winterton: We do not collect data on the number of incidents involving incorrect insulin doses in hospitals. However, we do collect data on accidental overdose of insulin in general, irrespective of where the event occurred. The two events on which data are collected are: poisoning by insulin and oral hypoglycaemic drugs and insulin and oral hypoglycaemic drugs causing adverse effects in therapeutic use, which is shown in the table.
	
		All diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes for selected diagnoses national health service hospitals, England 200001 to 200405Discharge Method
		
			  Death Live N/Apatient still in hospital Not known Total 
		
		
			 200001 21 1,701 334  2,056 
			 200102 33 1,723 372  2,128 
			 200203 31 1,836 505  2,372 
			 200304 37 2,051 536 7 2,631 
			 200405 38 2,271 668 1 2,978 
		
	
	Notes:
	All diagnoses count of episodesthese figures represent a count of all finished consultant episode's (FCE) where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) record.
	Finished consultant episodesan FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultation with one health care provider. Please note that these figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	DeathsHES data cannot be used to determine the cause of death of a patient while in hospital. Deaths recorded on the HES database may be analysed by the main diagnosis for which the patient was being treated during their stay in hospital, which may not necessarily be the underlying cause of death. For example, consider a patient admitted for a hernia operation (with a primary diagnosis of hernia), but who died from a heart attack. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collect information on the cause of death, wherever it occurs, based on the death certificate and should be the source of data for analyses on cause of death.
	Diagnosis (primary diagnosis)the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	Secondary diagnosisas well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (six prior to 200203) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnosis relevant to the episode of care.
	Selected diagnosisT383: Insulin and oral hypoglycaemic (anti-diabetic) drug and Y423: Insulin and oral hypoglycaemic (anti-diabetic) drug
	GrossingFigures are grossed for both coverage and missing or invalid clinical data, except for 200304 and 200405, which is not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

Involuntary Automaticity

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the part played by involuntary automaticity on adverse incidents in the health care system; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: We recognise the systemic nature of many health care errors and are aware that a number of factors including involuntary automaticity and unconscious behaviour can contribute to adverse incidents in the national health service.
	The Department therefore welcomed the recent report following an independent review of a serious adverse radiotherapy incident that occurred at Cookridge hospital which highlighted circumstances where involuntary automaticity may be triggered. Following the publication of the report, the deputy chief medical officer met with the report's authors to discuss the specific circumstances leading to the incident together with the wider implications. In the light of that, we have facilitated debate about involuntary automaticity, including a discussion at the European Union patient safety summit in November 2005.
	As yet, it is difficult to determine the proportion of adverse incidents where involuntary automaticity is a contributing factor. However, overcoming this and other factors is built into our patient safety agenda and the work of the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). For example, the NPSA's publication 'Right Patient, Right Care' included work on the bedside identity checking of patients receiving care.

Macmillan Nurses

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to increase the numbers of Macmillan nurses working for the NHS in Staffordshire.

Rosie Winterton: It is for trusts to decide how many nurses including palliative care nurse specialists, are employed in each specialty within hospitals. It is for local cancer networks working in partnership with primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and their workforce development directorates to assess, plan and review their workforce, education and training needs for all staff linked to the delivery of local and national priorities for cancer.

Mammography Screening

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the availability of mammography screening for younger women in (a) Peterborough and (b) Cambridgeshire.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning health services to meet the needs of the local population.
	The Forrest report, on which the national health service breast screening programme is based, recommended further research to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of screening women under 50. This research, the Age Trial, began in 1990 and is nearing completion; and full results are expected later in 2006.

Medicines

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the targets for granting marketing authorisations detailed in the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency's business plan for 2005 are being met for over-the-counter medicines; and how many application files were open on the last date for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	In the published business plan for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for 200506, assessment time targets are given for various types of licensing work, including variations to licences and new licences based on abridged dossiers. Specific targets are not given for over-the-counter medicines because these would be included with the abridged dossier applications.
	On 21 February 2006, there were 2,490 new product licence applications at various stages of assessment, of which 356 related to products potentially for over-the-counter supply.
	I am aware that the MHRA's performance regarding licence and variation approval times during the last nine months has been affected by a combination of adverse factors, including increases in work load, difficulties in recruiting professional assessment staff, especially medically-qualified staff, and transitional implementation problems during the introduction of a new information management system. Though statistics for the full year 200506 are not yet available, it is likely that some of the target assessment times given in the plan will not be met.
	The MHRA is taking a number of steps to improve service levels. These include organisational restructuring, additional recruitment, re-training of staff, voluntary schemes for extended working hours, and information system performance enhancements.

Medicines

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much time was taken on average to grant applications for marketing authorisation for (a) new, (b) abridged and (c) variations of over-the-counter medicines, from initial receipt of the application to its final approval in the last period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The most recent full-year figures for new medicines approval times by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are for 200405. These show an average approval time, from receipt of the application to grant of the licence, of 288 calendar days. This period, however, includes the time taken by applicants to supply any necessary new or correcting information following the initial assessment of their application. When this is taken into account the actual number of net working days taken by the MHRA reduces to an average of 122 days. These figures apply to all types of new product licensing including products for over-the-counter (OTC) supply.
	For the relatively small number of completely new medicines, for example, those containing new drugs and with the potential for meeting unmet medical needs in major diseases, the MHRA, during the same period, has maintained its record of assessing these in under 40 days.
	For variations to OTC product licences, whether straightforward or complex, and again in the most recent full year for which figures are available, 200405, the average time taken to approve, from receipt of the application to grant of the variation, was 58 calendar days. This includes the time taken waiting for the company to provide any further information needed.

Medicines

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the Better Regulation of Over-the-Counter Medicines Initiative to make its recommendations; and if she will make a statement;

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the Better Regulation of Over-the-Counter Medicines Initiative; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is committed to developing regulation which is proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted and is considering how unnecessary regulatory burdens, primarily in relation to over the counter (OTC) medicines, could be eased.
	To take this important initiative forward the MHRA is leading the better regulation of OTC medicines initiative (BROMI)a broad ranging strategy group, which includes representatives from the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB), the non-proprietary sector, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), and wider Government.
	The group first met in December 2005 at which the terms of reference were agreed and a work plan developed. The group is considering a range of options for easing unnecessary regulatory burdens in relation to OTC medicines and I have asked that BROMI delivers its first proposals to simplify regulatory burdens for OTC medicines in April 2006.

Medicines

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) uses to ensure that deadlines for the granting of marketing authorisations for medicines are being met; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure the MHRA assessors are held to account.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) uses a number of information technology (IT) system and staff management mechanisms to monitor the progress and completion of marketing authorisation applications. These include the automatic system flagging of applications when critical dates are due and weekly status checks by the assessment managers. In addition, applications processed through European approval procedures are monitored using a Eudranet IT system which links all of the European Community medicines regulatory agencies.
	The accountability for ensuring that licensing deadlines are met is shared between MHRA managers and assessors. The quality, quantity and timeliness of work completed are among the primary measures of their individual performance management.

Milton Keynes PCT

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects a decision to be made on the future of the Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust.

Rosie Winterton: Local consultations on the boundary changes began on 14 December 2005, running for 14 weeks until 22 March. It is anticipated that an announcement on new primary care trusts will be made in late May following the consideration of recommendations to Secretary of State, by an independent external panel, on the strategic health authority consultation reports.

Myeloma

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that the standard of care for patients with myeloma in Hereford is the same as for patients being treated in Wales and Scotland.

Rosie Winterton: In 2003, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published 'Improving Outcomes in Haematological Cancers'. This guidance is designed to ensure services for patients with haematological cancers are consistent across England and Wales.
	In Scotland, The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network produces similar guidance for use within NHS Scotland.
	The Department and the National Assembly for Wales have also asked NICE to appraise velcade for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Velcade is one of the first five drugs to be appraised under NICE'S new single topic appraisal process and guidance is expected in mid-2006.
	The Department have made it clear that funding for specific treatments should not be withheld simply because guidance from NICE is unavailable. In these circumstances, we expect primary care trusts to take full account of available evidence when reaching funding decisions.

NHS Dialysis Treatment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in (a) Leicester and (b) England receive NHS dialysis treatment.

Rosie Winterton: Data from the last published report of the 'UK Renal Registry of the Renal Association' show that on 31 December 2003, 509 people were receiving national health service dialysis in Leicester.
	The most recent complete data available for England, from a national survey carried out for the Department by the UK Renal Registry of the Renal Association, shows that on 31 December 2002 there were 16,394 adult patients receiving NHS dialysis treatment. There were 214 patients receiving NHS dialysis treatment in United Kingdom paediatric renal units.

NHS Dialysis Treatment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the infection rate was for patients receiving NHS dialysis treatment in the last period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: National surveillance of healthcare associated infections, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia, is undertaken by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), based on data supplied by the national health service. Data specifically relating to the infection rate for patients receiving dialysis treatment is not available. However, data showing the MRSA bacteraemia rates per acute trust is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/40/15/04114015.pdf.

NHS Litigation Authority Panel

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether solicitors' firms on the NHS Litigation Authority panel (a) are subject to audits and (b) have their bills reviewed; to what extent they are subject to quality assessment; and whether standards are set for firms to meet to gain a place on the panel.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 1 March 2006
	The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) maintains two panels of solicitors, the first specialising in clinical negligence claims and the second in non-clinical claims.
	In addition to demonstrating technical ability, panel solicitors must meet specific audit criteria set by the NHSLA. Firms on both NHSLA panels are regularly and formally audited. The NHSLA audit the work undertaken for them by the panel solicitors and the firms all have their own internal control structures, some utilising external consultants. In addition, as part of their annual audit of the NHSLA, the National Audit Office comments on costs and cost ratios.
	All cases are overseen by experienced NHSLA case managers who look at individual bills, costs to damages ratios and the ratio of defence to claimant costs, both on individual cases and in the aggregate. The NHSLA conduct ad hoc reviews of panel solicitors' work in-house and hold quarterly review meetings with the partners at the panel solicitors.

Non-medical Professional Regulation

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the findings of the Foster Review of non-medical professional regulation; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1765W.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham, on 31 October 2005, reference 24444, on immunisation of people with severe mental illnesses against influenza.

Rosie Winterton: A reply was given to the hon. Member on 16 February 2006, Official Report, columns 231314W.

Pharmacist Fees

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2006, Official Report, columns 175964W, on pharmacist fees, what the difference is between the generic reimbursement prices and the prices at which (a) Simvastatin, (b) Lisinopril and (c) Amlodipine could be purchased by pharmacists and dispensing doctors; how much would be recovered by a discount inquiry on that basis for each drug; and if she will break down the information in table one by price category for each drug.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 28 February 2006
	As stated in my reply on 13 February 2006, Official Report, columns 176063, simvastatin, lisinopril and amlodipine are included in the new category M in the drug tariff which was introduced in April 2005. The new arrangements for the community pharmacy contractual framework, together with category M are managed to deliver funding for the contractual framework of 1.766 billion in 200506. Of this sum, 0.5 billion is derived from margins on medicines retained by community pharmacy contractors and as a result market prices available to contractors will in most cases be less than reimbursement prices paid to contractors. The Department has arrangements in place agreed under the pharmacy contractual framework to ensure that the contract sum is delivered. This is based on information from a sample of pharmacy contractors submitted on a commercial-in-confidence basis.

Prescription Charges

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of prescriptions were exempt from prescription charges in 200405; and how much was raised from prescription charges in 200405.

Jane Kennedy: In 200405, 87 per cent. of prescription items dispensed in England were exempt from prescription charges. This is based on 691.9 million items dispensed in England of which 602.2 million were dispensed free of charge, which includes prescribed contraceptives and items personally administered and 89.8 million which were charged at the point of supply or through a pre-payment certificate.
	For the same period, the income raised from prescription charges was 422.4 million for England. This is in respect of charges collected at point of supply and fees for pre-payment certificates.

Prescription Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to add to the NHS list of medical exemptions to prescription charges; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: We have no plans to extend the existing list of medical conditions that give exemption from prescription charges.
	The extensive exemption and change remission arrangements mean that 87 per cent. of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge. As a result, many people with medical conditions not on the exempt list already get free prescriptions on other grounds. Anyone not exempt may claim help through the national health service low income scheme or purchase a prescription prepayment certificate.
	Prescription charges are currently being looked at by the Health Select Committee as part of its inquiry into NHS charges.

Primary Care Trusts

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to primary care trusts on providing Herceptin to patients who are willing to pay for it.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not issued any guidance to primary care trusts on providing Herceptin to patients who are willing to pay for it.

Private Finance Initiative

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2006, Official Report, column 1325W, on the private finance initiative (PFI), what the net present value is of payments under the PFI contract for (a) Whipps Cross NHS Trust, (b) Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust and (c) Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust; what the net present value is of the public sector comparator; and how much of the net present value of the public sector comparator is accounted for by the optimism bias.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	At both Walsall and Whipps Cross National Health Service Trusts, the costs of the private finance initiative option are not yet finalised so net present values of payments are not available.
	The outline business case for Walsall NHS Trust is on their website at www.walsall.wmids.nhs.uk. This shows at page 97 that an allowance of 15 per cent. has been made for optimism bias at the time of publication (November 2004). Page 107 contains a table with the economic analysis of all the options considered by the trust; the public sector comparator is option six and shows the net present value as 2,670,240,000.
	For Whipps Cross NHS Trust, the trust has halted their current scheme. They are in the process of revising their proposals which will then be submitted in a new outline business case. Figures from their previous outline business case are subject to significant change.
	Peterborough and Stamford hospitals is a NHS foundation trust and their private finance initiative scheme is also still in procurement. In accordance with protocol on foundation trusts, requests for information on this trust should be directed to their chairman.

Prostate Cancer

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met the Prostate Cancer Charity to discuss the funding of research into prostate cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 14 February 2006
	In his capacity as a signatory to the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action, the chief executive of the Prostate Cancer Charity is a member of the prostate cancer advisory group (PCAG), chaired by the national cancer director, Professor Mike Richards. Research is a standing item on the agenda of PCAG, which meets twice a year. The chief executive of the charity also sits on a number of PCAG working groups. In addition, he met with me on 21 July 2005, and has regular informal meetings with officials.
	Prostate cancer is the only cancer with departmental funding target for research. The target of 4.2 million was achieved in 200304 and 200405. This level of funding will be maintained, subject to the quality of research proposals received.

Salt Consumption

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effects of excessive salt consumption on patients at risk of developing kidney disease; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what guidance her Department has issued to health professionals on monitoring salt intake levels for patients at risk of developing kidney disease; and what methods are used to monitor salt intake.

Rosie Winterton: Part two of the national service framework for renal services, published in February 2005, identifies certain groups of people who have an increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease, such as those with hypertension, vascular disease or heart failure. It also makes clear that life-style changes which reduce the risk of these diseases, including improving diet and cutting salt intake, are also likely to reduce the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Implementation of the clinical guideline on the management of hypertension in adults published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is identified as a marker of good practice: this includes advice on keeping dietary salt intake low.
	Salt intake is not routinely monitored in people identified as having an increased risk of chronic kidney disease.

Salt Consumption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effects on children at risk of developing kidney disease from consuming excessive levels of salt;
	(2)  what guidance her Department has issued to health professionals on recommended levels of salt intake for children at risk of developing kidney disease.

Rosie Winterton: Part two of the national service framework for renal services, published in February 2005, makes it clear that improving diet and cutting salt intake are among measures likely to reduce the risk of developing chronic kidney disease by reducing the risk of associated conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. However, some of the major causes of chronic kidney disease in children are not affected by salt intake in the same way, including congenital abnormalities of the kidneys and/or urinary tract, inherited kidney diseases and infections such haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

Sentinel Computer System

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of implementing the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency's Sentinel IT system; and what assessment she has made of the impact of Sentinel on the time spent by assessors on simple applications for marketing authorisations.

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total costs have been of implementing MHRA's Sentinel computer system; how many and what proportion of each type of application it is being used for; what assessment she has made of how it has affected the time spent to authorise and approve single applications; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The Medical Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) Sentinel programme, began in 2002 following formal Government procurement processes. The expected life of the programme is 10 years and to date has cost around 19 million which incorporates enhancements to the scope of the original programme. The MHRA is currently using Sentinel to handle all applications for marketing authorisations and variations, for clinical trial certificates and for import and export licences, as well as a range of internal corporate functions, and will soon extend Sentinel to pharmacovigilence, including new capabilities for signal generation.
	Recently assessment approval times have lengthened, mainly due to delays in validating applications, and assessment targets are not being met in a proportion of cases although urgent cases are being processed promptly. Some technical problems were encountered when parts of the Sentinel programme were implemented, which is not unusual for a project of this complexity, but those have been or are being resolved. Positive improvements have already been achieved and more are forecast. Sentinel's development is founded in its ability to handle electronic submissions and as industry increases its use of the external portal for this purpose, the workflow will be further streamlined.
	Sentinel completely revolutionises the MHRA's approach to information management and processing and will put them in a leading position in its ability to handle electronic submissions, attract revenues from within and outside the United Kingdom and to remain a centre of excellence for medicines regulation. It will enable improved access to information to assist in the protection of public health and provide a better service to all its stakeholders.

Supercentre Sterile Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations have taken place with the Royal College of Surgeons on the estimated costs involved in the surgical instrument sets when super centre sterile services are established.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	Departmental Officials meet representatives from the Royal College of Surgeons regularly to discuss matters of mutual interest concerning the decontamination programme. It is a matter for each national health service trust involved in a project to improve decontamination services to determine what extra instruments it needs in the light of the size and quality of the existing stock.

Tarceva

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS patients have received the cancer drug Tarceva;
	(2)  if she will list the NHS trusts which have prescribed the cancer drug Tarceva.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	Erlotinib (Tarceva) for non-small cell lung cancer was granted a licence by the European Medicines Agency, in September 2005. The Department does not hold data on the number of people prescribed particular drugs but does hold data on the number of national health service prescriptions dispensed. There is no record of the drug having been issued in hospitals up to June 2005, though our information is not comprehensive and might not capture the use of the drug in clinical trials where it has not been dispensed at the NHS's expense. More recent data is not available due to the contractual restrictions on how data on drugs issued in hospitals can be used. The drug has not been prescribed in primary care up to September 2005. More recent data is currently not available due to National Statistics protocols.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Court Services (Gloucestershire)

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her assessment is of (a) the requirement for and (b) the performance of the magistrates court in Coleford, Gloucestershire.

Bridget Prentice: The requirement for Coleford magistrates court is currently under review and no decision on its future has been made at this time.
	The performance figures for Gloucester are collected on a regional basis and individual figures for Coleford magistrates court are not available.

Court Services (Gloucestershire)

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what savings have been sought by her Department from the Courts Service in Gloucestershire; and what assessment she has made of the impact of these savings on court services in Gloucestershire.

Bridget Prentice: Gloucestershire have identified 109,000 of savings and to date have reported that they have achieved these savings as a result of management reorganisation which does not impact on court business.

Electoral Systems

Edward Davey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what work is being undertaken to review electoral systems within the UK.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 1054W. The Government's internal review is desk based, examining a range of existing publications and materials. These include, for example, the reports of the Independent Commission on the Voting Systems (the Jenkins report), the Independent Commission on Proportional Representation (ICPR), and the Arbuthnott Commission's report on Boundary Differences and Voting Systems.

Freedom of Information

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers are informed of Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests made to their Department.

Bridget Prentice: The decision as to whether to inform ministers about a FOI request is made on a case by case basis in each Department. Ministers are not informed of every individual FOI request.
	Where section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 applies, all requests are submitted to Ministers because this exemption can only be used if, in the Minister's reasonable opinion, disclosure would 'prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs'.
	It is usually departmental policy that Special Advisers are copied advice to Ministers.

Information Commissioner

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the target time for the Information Commissioner's Office to process a case from receipt to completion; and what the average time taken was in 2005.

Bridget Prentice: The Information Commissioner is an independent body created by statute. He has responsibilities for handling complaints made to him under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 1998.
	For FOI cases, the ICO target for the business year 200506 is to resolve 50 per cent. within 60 working days. In the calendar year 2005, 50.3 per cent. of cases closed were closed within 60 working days of receipt. The average time taken from receipt to closure for all FOI cases closed during 2005 was 94 working days.
	For DP cases, the ICO target for the business year 200506 is to resolve 90 per cent. of cases within 90 calendar days. In 2005, 88.5 per cent. of cases closed were closed within 90 calendar days of receipt. The average time taken from receipt to closure for all Data Protection cases in the same period was 50 calendar days.

Judiciary

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of judges in the North East are from the North East; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Department for Constitutional Affairs does not record the place of birth of applicants for Judicial post, therefore I am unable to provide this information.

Legal Aid

Peter Robinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications for legal aid were (a) made and (b) approved in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years, broken down by constituency.

Bridget Prentice: The number of applications for legal aid made and approved in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years are as follows:
	
		
			  Claims Applications 
			  Legal advice and assistance By way of representation Children order Civil legal aid Criminal legal aid 
		
		
			 200405  
			 Received 55,904 4,352 4,857 10,918 20,991 
			 Granted - 4,186 4,712 8,825 20,428 
			  
			 200304  
			 Received 15,145 5,193 5,541 13,276 19,619 
			 Granted - 4,762 5,118 7,155 19,037 
			  
			 200203  
			 Received 55,292 5,745 5,999 13,569 19,177 
			 Granted - 5,351 5,656 11,102 18,591 
			  
			 200102  
			 Received 41,949 5,797 5,708 14,997 17,820 
			 Granted - 5,440 5,403 9,011 17,303 
			  
			 200001  
			 Received 46,656 5,622 5,133 14,097 19,344 
			 Granted - 5,157 4,824 11,480 18,681 
			  
			 199900  
			 Received 45,656 5,798 5,198 14,109 20,063 
			 Granted - 5,285 4,950 12,586 19,394 
			  
			 199899  
			 Received 57,969 5.633 5,506 15,813 19,732 
			 Granted - 5,121 4,600 6,713 19,194 
			  
			 199798  
			 Received 76,365 6,032 5,320 18,286 22,703 
			 Granted - 5,580 4,456 11,158 22,151 
			  
			 199697  
			 Received 86,041 7,696 1,291 18,306 24,375 
			 Granted - 6,961 1,063 12,102 23,726 
			  
			 199596  
			 Received 79,887 9,011 - 18,414 23,960 
			 Granted - 8,376 - 11,730 23,396 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Legal Advice and Assistance cases are recorded as claims, not applications.
	2. Data for criminal cases is collected for calendar years and the figures in the table relate to the period 19952004.
	3. To provide the information by constituency would involve a manual review of records. Given the large number of cases involved this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Legal Services Commisson

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the Legal Services Commission decision to cease funding specialist support and legal advice in complex cases; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Specialist support services form part of the Legal Services Commission's (LSC) special projects budget. Research undertaken by the LSC which underpins their consultation paper Making legal rights a reality points to an increasing demand for front line advice for the most needy.
	Given the pressure on the limited legal aid budget and the number of clients needing legal advice, the LSC has concluded that the 2.3 million will be redirected to fund direct legal advice in the next financial year. This will increase access to legal aid services for vulnerable people.

Magistrates Courts

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent on the establishment, development and delivery of the (a) North Liverpool Community Justice Centre and (b) Salford magistrates court.

Bridget Prentice: The information is as follows.
	(a) The cost of the establishment and development of the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre was 5.4 million. Running costs to deliver the centre are estimated to be 2.5 million per year.
	(b) The Community Justice Initiative within Salford magistrates court has been allocated 100,000 for its establishment and development. Ongoing delivery costs will be met within existing budgets for the court and its supporting agencies.

Parliamentary Questions

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 491W, on trials (location), what estimate she has made of the cost of answering the question; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: In order to obtain the information requested, it would be necessary for a member of staff at each of 92 Crown court and 377 magistrates court locations to physically research case files. This would significantly exceed the ceiling of 600 in place for providing responses to Members questions.

Representation Orders

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many representation orders have been granted in each court within the east midlands Government office region; and to which firms of solicitors.

Bridget Prentice: During financial year 200405: 47,445 representation orders were granted in magistrates courts within the east midlands Government office region. In some circumstances these orders will also cover proceedings in the Crown court.
	Information on representation orders actually granted in the Crown court is not held centrally. We will write to my hon. Friend with additional information at the earliest opportunity. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
	An application for a representation order is made by, or on behalf of, the defendant in a case. It is on this basis that representation is granted. Information on which firms of solicitors were selected to represent the defendant is not held centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Solicitors (Sanctions)

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will seek to legislate to penalise solicitors who refuse to abide by Law Society adjudication decisions.

Bridget Prentice: The power to penalise a solicitor who refuses to abide by a Law Society adjudication decision is provided for under existing legislation. If a solicitor fails to comply with an Adjudication Panel decision the Law Society has the power to institute disciplinary proceedings before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) on that basis. Under the Solicitors Act 1974 the Tribunal has the power to:
	strike a solicitor off the roll;
	suspend a solicitor for a fixed or indefinite period;
	reprimand a solicitor;
	fine a solicitor (fines are payable to HM Treasury);
	ban a solicitor's employee from working in a law practice without the consent of the Law Society (under s43 Solicitors Act 1974); and
	if the Law Society has awarded compensation, the SDT can make that award enforceable as a High Court order.
	The question of enforcement of awards will be taken into account when consideration is given to the proposed complaints handling procedures set out in the Government's White Paper, The Future of Legal Services: Putting Consumers First: published October 2005.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Casinos

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to change the planning class order on casinos from D2 to sui generis; and over what time scale.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 was amended by the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/220). The amending Order removes use as a casino from Class D2 of the 1987 Order, which relates to assembly and leisure. It also makes use as a casino sui generis. The amending order was made on 23 January 2006 and will come into force on 6 April 2006.

Domestic Violence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of people gaining access to a service through Supporting People were at risk of domestic violence in each year since 2003.

Phil Woolas: Information is collected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister from service providers on the number of new clients accessing services through the Supporting People programme. The following table shows the total number of clients accessing services during 200304, 200405 and during the first six months of 200506, as identified through completed client record forms, together with the number and percentage of clients that were identified as women at risk of domestic violence.
	
		
			   Clients defined primarily as women at risk of domestic violence Clients defined secondarily as women at risk of domestic violence 
			 Period Total number of clients accessing services Number Percentage of all clients Number Percentage of all clients 
		
		
			 200304 209,845 22,229 11 3,975 2 
			 200405 202,554 20,629 10 4,024 2 
			 2005(23) 82,323 8,939 11 1,779 2 
		
	
	(23) April to September.
	No information is currently collected on men at risk of domestic violence.

Earnings Surveys

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the New Earnings Survey and (b) the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings in sampling low-paid workers who do not file tax returns; and what effect such data have on area cost adjustments.

Phil Woolas: I am content that the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) sufficiently captures information on the low paid for the following reasons. Firstly, the ASHE contains information on all the employees surveyed who work in PAYE registered companies, including those who earn less than the PAYE threshold.
	Secondly, in 2004 and 2005 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) conducted additional surveys of wage information from people working in companies which are not registered for PAYE to supplement the ASHE.
	Analysis of the information from these supplementary surveys has shown that people working in small firms, which are not registered for PAYE have the same wage profile as those working in the same occupation in a PAYE registered firm.
	Finally, ONS calculate a weighting for every record in the ASHE. This means that the data we use to calculate the area cost adjustment has been weighted to match the national employment profile.

Earnings Surveys

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the New Earnings Survey and (b) the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings in acquiring information on the qualifications of individuals.

Phil Woolas: The New Earnings Survey and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings contain no information on the qualifications of the individuals in the survey.

Earnings Surveys

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to replace the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings with the Labour Force Survey in calculating area cost adjustments.

Phil Woolas: I have no plans to replace the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) with the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
	I am content that the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings is the best data to use to calculate the Area Cost Adjustment (ACA). The ASHE is a comprehensive source of pay data. It provides a robust and objective basis to assess differences in pay between areas.
	Most of the councils who commented on this issue in our summer consultation agreed that we should use the full ASHE to calculate the ACA.

Earnings Surveys

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of estimates of regional wage variations in West Sussex by (a) the New Earnings Survey and (b) the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Phil Woolas: The labour cost adjustment (LCA) is the element of the local government funding formula that takes account of differences in local wage costs. It is calculated using wage data from each area cost adjustment (ACA) area. The majority of West Sussex is contained in the 'West Sussex Non-Fringe' ACA area. Crawley is contained in the 'Surrey, Berkshire and West Sussex Fringe'.
	The LCA was calculated using information from the New Earnings Survey (NES) panel dataset for the 200405 local government finance settlement. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) replaced the NES in 2004, so the ASHE panel dataset was used to calculate the LCA in 200506. Following the formula review, we used the full ASHE dataset to calculate the LCA in 200607.
	LCA factors for 200405, 200506 and 200607 are given in the following table.
	
		LCA factors
		
			 ACA area 200405 200506 200607 
		
		
			 City of London 1.5765 1.578 1.5737 
			 Inner London 1.3245 1.3362 1.337 
			 West Outer London 1.1825 1.1863 1.1868 
			 
			 Surrey, Berkshire and West Sussex Fringe 1.171 1.1702 1.1667 
			 Berkshire Non-Fringe 1.1613 1.1601 1.1674 
			 Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Fringe 1.1337 1.1288 1.1272 
			 Buckinghamshire Non-Fringe 1.1065 1.1073 1.1109 
			 Kent and Essex Fringe 1.0967 1.1036 1.1033 
			 Rest Outer London 1.1086 1.1034 1.1047 
			 Oxfordshire 1.1037 1.0966 1.0902 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Non-Fringe 1.0619 1.0631 1.0663 
			 Cambridgeshire 1.0575 1.0622 1.0611 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1.05 1.0527 1.0526 
			 Avon 1.0382 1.0461 1.0495 
			 Wiltshire 1.0373 1.0391 1.0327 
			 Warwickshire 1.0418 1.0334 1.0256 
			 West Midlands 1.0316 1.0297 1.0205 
			 Northamptonshire 1.0325 1.0272 1.0231 
			 Cheshire 1.0256 1.0271 1.0211 
			 Gloucestershire 1.024 1.0238 1.0244 
			 
			 West Sussex Non-Fringe 1.0352 1.0229 1.004 
			 Greater Manchester 1.0221 1.0223 1.0237 
			 East Sussex 1.0079 1.014 1.0137 
			 Kent Non-Fringe 1.0179 1.0108 1.0091 
			 West Yorkshire 1.0109 1.0108 1.0092 
			 Essex Non-Fringe 1.0108 1.0093 1.0111 
			 Suffolk 1 1.0015 1 
			 Leicestershire 1 1.0014 1.0067 
			 South Wales Police 1.0065 1 1.0039 
			 Merseyside 1.0089 1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 1 1 
			 North Yorkshire 1 1 1 
			 Cleveland 1 1 1 
			 Tyne and Wear 1 1 1 
			 Dorset 1 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 1 1 1 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 1 
			 Gwent Police 1 1 1 
			 Lancashire 1 1 1 
			 Hereford and Worcester 1 1 1 
			 Durham 1 1 1 
			 North Wales Police 1 1 1 
			 Cumbria 1 1 1 
			 Somerset 1 1 1 
			 Staffordshire 1 1 1 
			 Norfolk 1 1 1 
			 Devon 1 1 1 
			 Humberside 1 1 1 
			 Shropshire 1 1 1 
			 Northumberland 1 1 1 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 1 
			 Dyfed Powys Police 1 1 1 
			 Cornwall 1 1 1

Earnings Surveys

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to undertake a review of the geographical rules used in area cost adjustments in the South of England.

Phil Woolas: Having announced the 200607 settlement, I intend to take stock of my priorities for future formula changes. As part of this, I intend to look again at the geography of the area cost adjustment. However, I do not intend to make formula changes in 200708.

Earnings Surveys

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to abandon lower limits on labour cost adjustment figures.

Phil Woolas: Having announced the 200607 and 200708 settlements, I intend to take stock of my priorities for future formula changes. However, it is unlikely that removing the lower limits on the area cost adjustment (ACA) will be a priority for review.
	The ACA contains a lower limit because there is lower wage flexibility in the public sector. Occupations such as teachers, police and firefighters are on national pay scales, and they make up a higher proportion of local government employment than of the economy as a whole.

Firefighters

Norman Lamb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether there are incentives for employers to allow employees (a) to start and (b) to continue to work as retained firefighters; and whether he plans to introduce measures to ensure that employees are not penalised for working as retained firefighters.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Individual fire and rescue services are working closely with local businesses to encourage them to release staff for Retained Duty System (RDS) duties. Currently there are no national incentives for employers to allow employees to become RDS firefighters; however, officials in ODPM are exploring the possibility of a variety of incentive schemes.
	The Government recognise that the support of employers is vital to ensure that RDS firefighters can carry out their role effectively. Therefore ODPM are working with the Federation of Small Businesses, CBI and the Public and Voluntary sectors to inform employers of the benefits and responsibilities of supporting staff who are RDS firefighters.

Halfway Reservoirs, Sheppey

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the capacity of reservoirs one and two in Halfway, Sheppey.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has made no specific assessment of reservoirs one and two in Halfway, Sheppey. However, the water company responsible, Southern Water, has a duty to maintain reservoirs under their ownership. The regulation of reservoirs below a threshold of 25,000 cubic metres is managed by the Health and Safety Executive.
	In the event that any concerns regarding the impact of reservoirs, or their operation, are considered not to be addressed by the water company responsible, then these should be taken to the Consumer Council for Water.

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1425W, on local government finance, whether his Department (a) engaged in and (b) commissioned (i) research and (ii) preparatory work, independent of the Lyons Inquiry, on the council tax revaluation prior to the decision to postpone the revaluation.

Phil Woolas: I have nothing to add to the answers given to the hon. Member for Meriden of 14 November 2005, Official Report, column l030W; 23 November 2005, Official Report, column 2063W; 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 585W; and 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1425.

Local Government Finance

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was allocated to Nottinghamshire county council for (a) 200607 and (b) each year since 199697 in (i) cash and (ii) real terms.

Phil Woolas: Over the period requested, Nottinghamshire county council has received formula grant from Government in support of the discharge of certain of its functions. On the 1 April 1998, the city of Nottingham took on the functions of the county council in its area, becoming a unitary authority. The following table therefore shows the formula grant for Nottinghamshire prior to reorganisation. A like-for-like comparison between years is not possible for this period.
	
		
			   Formula Grant Formula Grant at 200405 prices 
		
		
			 199697 486.681 588.590 
			 199798 489.633 575.153 
		
	
	The following table shows the formula grant for Nottinghamshire after the reorganisation.
	
		
			  In cash terms 
			  Previous year's adjusted formula grant Current year's formula grant Change Percentage change 
		
		
			 199899 344.555 343.512 -1.043 -0.3 
			 19992000 343.512 362.309 18.797 5.5 
			 200001 362.308 380.654 18.346 5.1 
			 200102 378.755 393.977 15.222 4.0 
			 200203 370.423 392.129 21.706 5.9 
			 200304 408.973 439.735 30.762 7.5 
			 200405 426.862 453.194 26.331 6.2 
			 200506 457.370 481.618 24.249 5.3 
			 200607 123.556 127.898 4.342 3.5 
		
	
	
		
			  At 200405 prices 
			  Previous year's adjusted formula grant Current year's formula grant Change Percentage change 
		
		
			 199899 404.735 393.309 -11.426 -2.8 
			 19992000 393.309 406.824 13.515 3.4 
			 200001 406.823 421.899 15.076 3.7 
			 200102 419.794 426.137 6.343 1.5 
			 200203 400.661 411.079 10.419 2.6 
			 200304 428.738 449.112 20.374 4.8 
			 200405 435.965 453.194 17.228 4.0 
			 200506 457.370 470.436 13.066 2.9 
			 200607 120.688 121.930 1.242 1.0 
		
	
	Please note that the decrease in formula grant in 200607 reflects the change in the method of funding for schools. From 2006/07, schools will be funded via the Dedicated Schools Grant rather than formula grant.
	In addition to the amount of formula grant Nottinghamshire receives it also receives additional funding for services through special and specific grants. These are not available on a like-for-like basis.

Local Government Finance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many special grants have been issued to local authorities, since January 2001; and for what purposes.

Phil Woolas: Since 2001, 59 special grants have been made under the special grant procedures in section 88b of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, and 270 grants made under section 31 of the Local Government Finance Act 2003. These grants for both capital and revenue expenditure, were made for the following purposes:
	Education
	Schools Standards Grant
	Education Budget Support Grant
	Former Grant Maintained School Transitional Funding Grants
	Threshold Payments
	Heads, Deputies and Advanced Skills Teachers Performance Pay Progression
	Deputies Assimilation
	Post-16 Budget Support Grant
	Performance Pay ProgressionQualified Teachers Pay Scale
	Performance Pay Progression for Teachers on the Leadership Pay Spine
	Local Authorities with Autonomy on Formulaic Capital Allocations
	Excellent/3* Local Authorities
	Excellence in Cities/Excellence Clusters
	Capital Modernisation Grant
	Teachers Threshold/Performance Related Pay Grant
	Personal Social Services
	Adoption Support and Special Guardianship
	Change Fund
	Children's Trusts
	Choice Protects
	Evaluation .of Commissioning the Voluntary SectorSandwell borough council
	Information Sharing and Assessment: Local Authority Trailblazer Project
	Integrated Children's System
	Looked After Children's Workforce
	Multi-Dimensional Treatment Foster Care Programme
	Needs Assessment Tool Project Grant: Portsmouth city council
	Participation Grant
	Regional Development Workers
	Safeguarding Children
	Secure Accommodation
	Target Youth Support Pathfinders
	Teenage Pregnancy
	Treatment Foster Care
	Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
	Asylum SeekersAdults and FamiliesTop Up
	Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking ChildrenTop Up
	Access and Systems Capacity
	AIDS Support
	Carers
	Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services
	Children's ServicesQuality Protects
	Delayed Discharges
	Human Resources Development Strategy
	Improving Information Management Capital Grant
	Mental Health
	National Training Strategy
	Older People's Services
	Personal Social Services Performance Grant
	Preserved Rights
	Residential Allowance
	Special Grant for High Performers
	Training Support Programme
	Kent County Council and Swindon Borough Council Social Services Partnership Grant
	Fire and Civil Contingencies
	Arson Control Forum
	Community Fire Safety Innovation Fund
	Coroner's Courts (Tsunami Disaster)
	Funding for Lead Agency (Westminster) following 7/7 Terrorist Attack
	Home Fire Risk Check Grant
	London Resilience Grant
	National Co-ordination Centre
	Mass Decontamination Vehicle Accommodation
	Resilience Accommodation Grants
	Transitional Funding and Pay Verification Grant
	Urban Search, Rescue and Crewing
	Civil ProtectionLFEPA
	Environmental, Cultural and Protective Services
	Air Quality Grant
	Fridges (Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations)
	Household Incentives Pilot Scheme Grant
	National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund
	Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant
	Rural Pathfinders Project
	TransportDealing with Disadvantage
	Local Transport Plans
	Maintenance of RoadsDetrunking
	Neighbourhood Road Safety Initiative
	Journey Time Indicator Grant
	Kickstart Bus Challenge
	Rural Bus Challenge
	Rural Bus Subsidy Grant
	Urban Bus Challenge
	Vehicle EmissionsRoadside Testing
	Homelessness Revenue and Capital Grant
	Planning Delivery Grant
	Supporting People Administration Grant
	Housing Capital Investment
	Local Housing Authority Capital Receipts Pooling and Clawback
	Additional Costs to Develop the Regional Housing Strategy
	Golden Triangle Affordable Housing Scheme
	Regional Housing Pot
	Single Capital PotDiscretionary Funding Regeneration Grants
	London Private Sector Housing Renewal Schemes
	Unallocated
	Private Finance Initiative
	Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
	Local Public Service Agreements
	Local Authority Business Growth Incentive
	Beacon Council Support
	Capacity Building
	Private Sector Renewal Schemes Carlisle Private Sector Renewal: Post-Flooding Grant
	Centres of Procurement Excellence
	Cornish LanguageCornwall County Council
	Efficiency Programme Grant
	Gypsy Sites Refurbishment Grants
	Local Government Franchising: Inter-Authority Partnership Unit GrantKent County Council
	Invest to Save
	Liveability Fund
	Local Authorities Classified as Excellent Under the CPA Framework
	Local E Government
	Local Government Intervention
	London Local Authority Regeneration Schemes
	Non-Domestic Rate RevaluationPublicity Grant
	Rate Relief to BusinessesHardship from Foot and Mouth
	Regional Choice Based Lettings Grants
	Standard Spending Assessment Reduction Grant and Central Support Protection Grant
	Co-ordinated Online Register of Electors (Election Mark-up Language)
	Electoral Modernisation Programme

Local Government Finance

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was held in reserves by each (a) county council, (b) unitary authority and (c) district council in England on 1 February.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information on local authority reserves levels as at 1 February is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. A table has been made available in the Library of the House showing levels of revenue reserves as at 1 April 2004 for each county council, unitary authority and district council in England.
	The data are as reported from local authorities and are taken from Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) Revenue Summary (RS) returns for 200405.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter sent to him by the hon. Member for Brent East, dated 21 November 2005, regarding the Local Government Pension Scheme, in respect of Ms Katrina Glennie.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no record of receiving the hon. Member's letter of 21 November 2005. Officials have now obtained a copy of the letter from the hon. Member and a reply will be sent shortly.

Local Government Restructuring

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the meetings that (a) he and (b) civil servants in his Department have had with local authority (i) officials and (ii) representatives concerning local government restructuring in the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: Civil servants in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have held meetings with local authority officials on the local governance and structures debate on the following dates:
	21 December 2005
	22 December 2005
	12 January 2006
	19 January 2006
	30 January 2006
	8 February 2006
	In addition, Ministers have attended two county dialogues to date, in Shropshire and Gloucestershire, held with officials, representatives and other local government stakeholders, as part of the wider debate on local governance. There were preparatory meetings for these events with officials of the ODPM and the county council concerned.
	Ministers and civil servants from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have held numerous meetings with local authority officials and representatives during the past 12 months at which a range of topics have been discussed and may have included, on occasion, local government reorganisation.

Lyons Inquiry

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 8 February 2006, Official Report, column 1247W, on the Lyons Inquiry, whether his Office made a formal submission to the inquiry.

Phil Woolas: I have nothing to add to the answers given to the hon. Member for Meriden of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2431W; 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 682W; and 8 February 2006, Official Report, column 1247W.

Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  when his Department will start the urgent review of local authority positive planning for renewable energy policies announced in Standing Committee C on 9 February; and when he expects the review to report its findings;
	(2)  when a decision will be taken on the extent to which further Government action will be taken to promote positive planning for renewables policies by local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: Work is already under way on analysing local plans to determine whether there is a problem with emerging plans that do not fully incorporate PPS22 guidance. A decision on whether any further action is required and, if so, what that action should be and its timing, can only be taken once that analysis is completed and the results available.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ascension Island

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the UK Government have had with the US Administration about changes in the military and security use of Ascension Island in the last 12 months.

Douglas Alexander: During the past 12 months, there have been no talks between the Government and the US Administration about changes in the military and security use of Ascension Island. Officials visiting Ascension have had a number of working level meetings with the US base commander on Ascension Island. There have also been discussions between the Ministry of Defence and the US to consider options for burden sharing on Ascension Island, and the scope for mutual savings and efficiencies.

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to support the Burmese trade union movement.

Ian Pearson: Independent trade unions in Burma are forbidden in practice and no collective bargaining exists. However, we are in contact with the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB) in exile. I met the General Secretary of the FTUB, Mr. Maung Maung, in July 2005.
	We work closely with the International Labour Organisation to tackle forced labour in Burma, which remains a major concern.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent advice his Department has offered Orient Express on their investments in Burma.

Ian Pearson: None.

Christian Minorities

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made on the treatment of Christians to the Government of (a) Egypt, (b) Saudi Arabia, (c) Iran, (d) Sudan, (e) Vietnam, (f) China, (g) Poland, (h) Spain, (i) Morocco, (j) Nepal, (k) India, (l) Pakistan, (m) Indonesia, (n) Myanmar, (o) North Korea, (p) Belarus, (q) the United Arab Emirates and (r) Yemen.

Ian Pearson: The UK condemns all instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith, wherever it happens and whatever the religion of the individual or group concerned. We regularly urge states, where there is a systematic problem, to pursue laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect and to protect religious minorities against discrimination, intimidation and attacks. While we have not recently raised this issue in all of the countries mentioned, specific examples of where we have been engaged in the last 12 months include:
	China: Freedom of religion was a focus of the last EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, which took place under the UK presidency in October 2005. Individual cases of concern, including Christians, was also raised during an UK-led EU demarche on the Chinese Government in December 2005.
	Pakistan: The treatment of Christians and the repeal of Blasphemy Laws was raised during an EU demarche on human rights in December 2005. In November 2005, our high commissioner in Pakistan wrote to the Minister for Religious Affairs about the use of mosques to incite violence against Christians and the Archbishop of Canterbury, accompanied by members of the British high commission, raised the treatment of minorities in meetings with President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shauk Aziz.
	India: Attacks on Christians and other minority groups was raised with Indian Officials during an EU human rights dialogue in December 2005 and again by our Deputy High Commissioner during his call on the National Human Rights Commission in January 2006.
	Indonesia: We co-sponsored an international conference to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony with the Indonesian Government in July 2005.
	Iran: Ministers and officials have pressed Iran to address international concern over the freedom of religious minorities on several occasions. All EU member states co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution on human rights in Iran in December which expressed serious concern at the continuing discrimination, and other human rights violations against persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, recognised or otherwise. During our EU presidency, we twice raised the case of the Christian Pastor and convert, Hamid Pourmand, imprisoned for allegedly deceiving the armed forces about his religion and spying. We continue to monitor Mr. Pourmand's case and the situation of Christians in Iran closely.
	Saudi Arabia: We participated in an EU demarche in May 2005 during which the arrest of Christians for taking part in religious activities was raised.

Civil Service Secondees

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people from science and technology backgrounds have been seconded into the civil service in his Department in each of the last three years.

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold centrally information that would allow us to identify secondees with a science and technology background.

Correspondence

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Parliamentary Under Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will reply to the letters of (a) 7 and 11 November 2005 and (b) 7 December 2005 from the hon. Member for Tyne Bridge.

Ian Pearson: My noble Friend, the Foreign and Commonwealth Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, replied to my hon. Friend's letters of 2 and 11 November and 7 December on 16 December 2005.

Democratic Republic of Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with particular reference to the treatment of journalists.

Ian Pearson: The peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains fragile, but the country is making progress towards holding democratic elections by June 2006. It is crucial that all parties stick to this timetable, and work constructively towards free and fair elections. The key challenges of Security Sector Reform, ending corruption and promoting human rights still remain.
	Freedom of the press generally exists in the DRC, but harassment of journalists, including physical attacks, have recently increased. The UK has reminded the DRC authorities of their duty to protect freedom of expression and the rights of all vulnerable groups, including journalists. The UK drafted the EU-led Resolution on DRC, adopted at the 2005 UN General Assembly, which made clear that the DRC Government must do more to protect human rights defenders.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on advertising by (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) each independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by his Department in each year since May 1997.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) on 18 July 2005, Official Report, columns 136970W.
	To collate this information for 19972001 and for the Department's non departmental and other bodies would incur disproportionate costs.

Foreign Travel (Health and Safety)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government takes to promote health and safety awareness among (a) UK citizens undertaking the Hajj to Saudi Arabia and (b) UK citizens planning travel to other foreign destinations.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in partnership with leading British Muslim organisations on the Hajj Advisory Group (HAG), has since 2000 sent the British Hajj Delegation to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. The Lord Patel of Blackburn has led the last six delegations, working alongside doctors and consular staff from our Consulate-General in Jeddah to provide medical and consular assistance to British pilgrims during the Hajj.
	The FCO currently funds the delegation, and, as part of the project, produces a general advice leaflet to raise awareness among British pilgrims planning to go on the Hajj. Prior to the recent Hajj, we distributed 45,000 leaflets to British mosques and to the Saudi embassy in London. They included health and safety advice and a link to FCO travel advice.
	The travel advice page for Saudi Arabia on the FCO website has a link to a specially designed section for those planning to go on the Hajj. This is part of the 'Know Before You Go' campaign and includes a separate section on health and welfare issues.
	The FCO supports a wide ranging publicity campaign, which encourages British nationals to be better prepared for their overseas trips with a view to avoiding common travelling risks and dangers.
	The campaign known as 'Know Before You Go' includes: information leaflets, Government TV fillers, radio messages, newspaper interviews and advertorials, travel show stands and other extensive PR and partnership activity, with some 180 'Know Before You Go' partners in the travel industry.
	The FCO maintains a website and telephone help-line, which offer regularly-reviewed and updated information including specific country and destination advice and general safety travel tips.

Iraq

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Iraqi policemen have been trained since the end of the war; and how many more are expected to be trained and ready to work by the end of 2006.

Kim Howells: 80,400 members of the Iraqi Police Service have been trained since the end of hostilities. Coalition targets predict that by the end of February 2007, 135,000 Iraqi police officers will be fully trained and equipped.

Nuclear Proliferation

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in developing the international non-proliferation regime since the June 2005 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Since the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference concluded at the end of May 2005, there has been progress in much of the international non-proliferation regime. I described EU progress, which was made under the UK presidency in my answer today (UNI 44497) and steps we have taken since the Review Conference to strengthen the NPT in the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1803W.
	The UK successfully chaired a meeting of states party of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in a discussion of codes of conduct for scientists and the substantive outcome of the meeting was published in a written statement I made to this House on 20 December 2005, Official Report, columns 19193WS.
	At the annual Conference of States Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, we were instrumental in the decision to extend the Conference action plan to achieve full national implementation by all states party which sets a series of tight deadlines for states party to take various implementing measures, including passing implementing legislation. It also lays down steps for dealing with countries that do nothing towards implementation.
	The UN Security Council's 1540 Committee continued its work to implement the provisions of the resolution, with many states, including the UK, submitting their second reports to the Committee. This followed the examination by experts appointed to the Committee of States' first reports, which highlighted areas where states were required to take action to implement the resolution in full.
	At a Diplomatic Conference of the International Maritime Organisation in London in October, States Party to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation agreed amendments to the Convention which, among other areas, will criminalise the transportation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related material by sea, including dual-use equipment intended for a weapons programme.
	As part of the continuing engagement with Libya, the UK and US offered assistance in 2005 for the re-deployment and re-training of a number of Libyan scientists and technicians who were working on WMD programmes.
	The Amendment on Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, agreed this year, significantly strengthened our key instrument for driving physical protection standards around the world. The Convention on Nuclear Terrorism, agreed in April 2005 with significant UK input, opened for signature in September. The UK was among dozens of states which signed the Convention straight away. The Convention includes measures which will reduce greatly the risk from terrorists using nuclear devices.
	As G8 President, we encouraged all states to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agencies Additional Protocol and worked with others to formulate appropriate incentives for countries to forego fuel-cycle facilities. The G8 Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction made measurable progress on various programmes this year, from tackling the management of the stockpiles of spent nuclear fuel from decommissioned submarines in NW Russia to further progress on the construction of chemical weapons destruction facilities.
	On WMD export control regimes, increasingly accepted around the world as important counter-proliferation mechanisms, we made progress towards agreeing criteria in the Nuclear Suppliers Group on transfers of enrichment and reprocessing technology, although final agreement has not yet been reached. We continued to play a lead role in the Australia Group's work countering biological and chemical weapons proliferation which, in its 25th year, marked in Sydney in June 2005, agreed significant control list amendments and admitted Ukraine to its membership. The Missile Technology Control Regime agreed our proposal for special scrutiny at trans-shipment points known to be used by the North Korean missile programme.
	The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) has continued to attract support from countries around the world, for example the endorsements of the Initiative by Argentina, Jordan, Iraq, and Georgia. We have played a full role in the Initiative, including the organisation of the global exercise Exploring Themis in November. In the same month, the first Regional Operational Experts Group was held in Hamburg. This new format will help further increase the co-ordination and sharing of best practice between supporters of the PSI, which in a short space of time has become a key tool in our efforts to improve global counter-proliferation capability.
	We pressed forward with our commitment to an international treaty on the trade in conventional arms, securing strong support from the EU in Council Conclusions agreed on 3 October and on 27 November with support from the Commonwealth for the start of a negotiation at the UN.

Nuclear Proliferation

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK took during the UK presidency of the European Union to secure European commitments on non-proliferation and disarmament; what outcomes were achieved; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: During our EU presidency we aimed to improve the EU's contribution to multilateral counter-proliferation work through continued implementation of the EU Strategy Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Our general co-ordination of EU positions in numerous lobbying campaigns and multilateral meetings such as the United Nations General Assembly First Committee was acknowledged to be strong and helped convey the EU's policies clearly and positively. We made good progress on existing initiatives: the EU agreed to renew Joint Actions to support International Atomic Energy Agency and Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons work on universalisation and full implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention. We have also begun two major pieces of work to strengthen the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), which we expect to be completed during the Austrian presidency: a new Joint Action on universalisation of the BTWC and an EU Common Position for the BTWC Review Conference. We have also agreed a new Strategy to combat illicit trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons to complement the WMD Strategy. We launched a debate on future financing of WMD work to focus discussion on how best to channel limited EU resources for the period 200713.

Rwanda

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the population in Rwanda are living below the poverty line.

Ian Pearson: According to the Rwandan Government's 200001 Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV 1), 60.3 per cent. of the population was living below the poverty line. The percentage in rural areas was much higher at 65.7 per cent. than in the urban areas at 15.8 per cent.
	There is no more recent comprehensive data available, but the Government are assisting the Rwandan Government in conducting EICV 2. The findings will be made public in early 2007.

Somalia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with the African Unity Organisation concerning the governance of Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Officials in Addis Ababa and Nairobi have frequent discussions with their African Union contacts about Somalia, most recently on 31 January 2006. The Transitional Federal Government has been based in Jowhar since its return to Somalia in June 2005. Progress on establishing governance has been delayed by disagreements over the Government's seat and the formation of a National Security and Stabilisation Plan, including the nature of any peace support operation to provide for the Government's security. We welcome the first meeting of the Transitional Federal Parliament inside Somalia, which took place in Baidoa on 26 February as a significant step forward on the road back to governance.

Uganda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts at the UN regarding measures to address the conflict in northern Uganda;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the case for targeted sanctions against the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda;
	(3)  what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the flow of arms to the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.

Ian Pearson: Assisting in ending the conflict in Northern Uganda is a priority for the Government. The UK was instrumental in securing adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1653 on the Great lakes on 27 January 2006, which strongly condemned Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) actions, and asked the UN Secretary General to make recommendations on how the UN Security Council, UN Missions and agencies can best support Governments in the region to put an end to the activities of illegal armed groups. As part of that process, Jan Egeland, the UN's Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, plans to visit Uganda in March.
	The UK is committed to restricting the arms available to all illegal armed groups, and is therefore a strong supporter of the arms embargoes in force in the region. We support the international criminal court's efforts to bring indicted LRA leaders to justice. But we are unconvinced at this time that targeted sanctions against the LRA in Uganda would be effective. However, we look forward to receipt of the Secretary General's report, and in the light of the report will consider further with partners all possible options for addressing the conflict.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the violence associated with the recent elections in Uganda.

Ian Pearson: The fatal shootings in Kampala on 15 February were a cause for concern in the lead up to the 23 February presidential and parliamentary elections. We understand that an individual has been charged in regard to this incident, and will expect the Ugandan legal system to deal with this matter in a prompt, fair and transparent manner.
	However, voting in the presidential and parliamentary elections passed generally peacefully and with a significant voter turnout. These elections were an important achievement in Uganda's return to multi-party democracy, and we congratulate the people of Uganda for demonstrating a clear commitment to this process.

Vandalism

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the acts of vandalism which have been perpetrated (a) inside and (b) on the outside of his Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: There have been no recorded acts of vandalism perpetrated either (a) inside or (b) outside the Department's buildings within the last 12 months.

Zimbabwe

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to bring human rights abuses in Zimbabwe to the attention of the international community; and if he will make a statement on the situation in Zimbabwe, with particular reference to recent reports that the Mugabe regime has begun to confiscate the passports of dissidents.

Ian Pearson: The UK plays a significant role in ensuring that the international community is aware of, and tackles, the situation in Zimbabwe. Together with our European partners, we have imposed a travel ban and assets freeze on those responsible for human rights abuses. We have successfully ensured that Zimbabwe has been brought to the attention of the UN Security Council, where it was discussed three times in 2005. It remains on the Council agenda.
	We condemn efforts by the Government of Zimbabwe to suppress opposition by denying regime critics their right to travel. We encourage African partners to join with the international community in rejecting these human rights abuses by the Government of Zimbabwe.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Assets Recovery Agency

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Assets Recovery Agency is making in recovering assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Assets Recovery Agency is making an effective contribution towards recovering criminal proceeds. Since its inception in 2003, the Agency has adopted 150 civil recovery cases and 22 tax cases for investigation; and disrupted over 100 criminal enterprises with 69 million worth of assets subject to freezing orders. The Agency has completed around 30 cases with a recovery value of approximately 10 million and has realised receipts of around 4 million.
	The Agency has also assisted law enforcement agencies in obtaining 13 confiscation orders with a total value of 6.4 million.
	The Centre of Excellence in the Assets Recovery Agency has delivered training in the Proceeds of Crime Act to over 2,600 financial investigators in law enforcement agencies. The Agency has also successfully raised awareness of the new powers in the Act by hosting a series of conferences and presentations; and by the issue of a monthly newsletter which publicises successes in recovering the proceeds of crime.

Biometric Information

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the countries which (a) require and (b) will soon require UK citizens to have biometric facial, iris and fingerprint scan data on passports.

Andy Burnham: The proposed use of multiple biometrics has been accepted in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Blueprint for machine readable travel documents which has been accepted by the 188 ICAO contracting states and includes the face as the primary mandatory biometric and iris or fingerprints as secondary and optional biometrics. The UK has no specific information as to when other countries will move to using multiple biometrics, however, the deadline within the EU for issuing passports that include a digital facial image is 28 August 2006. The deadline for fingerprints will be three years after final adoption of the technical standards, which is still awaited.
	The United States of America has confirmed that countries wishing to remain within their Visa waiver' scheme must start issuing biometric passports to their nationals from October 2006. The UK is not aware of any other country that is planning to impose a similar requirement.

Biometric Information

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the annual income from the proposed charge for a biometric passport and identity card in each of the first three years of the scheme.

Andy Burnham: The annual income from the proposed fee regime which will apply to the biometric passport and identity card package in each of the first three years of the identity card scheme will depend on the volume of passports and identity cards issued in each year and the level of fees charged.
	It is expected that the number of new or renewed passports issued to adults will be 4,157,000 in 200809, 3,862,000 in 200910 and 3,984,000 in 201011.
	The regulatory impact assessment published alongside the identity cards bill on the 25 May 2005, states that the current best estimate for the unit cost of a combined biometric passport and ID card package valid for 10 years is 93. However, the actual fee regime for the biometric passport and identity card package will not be laid before Parliament until the procurement process for the identity cards scheme has been completed.

Biometric Information

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 July 2005, Official Report, column 1448W, on biometric information, whether the UK Passport Service has commenced the introduction of biometric passports; and what the cost is of producing biometric passports (a) to comply only with US requirements and (b) with a facial recognition biometric obtained in the most cost-effective manner.

Andy Burnham: The UK Passport Service intends to begin a phased implementation of biometric passports in March, subject to successful system testing. This phased implementation is expected to be complete in August when all passport production will be biometric.
	The UK has chosen the facial recognition biometric, in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidance to achieve both enhanced security and compliance with US visa waiver requirements in the most cost effective manner. The 2006 fee review the Passport Service will undertake with HM Treasury will determine the full cost, and hence the fee for biometric passports going forward.

Biometric Information

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis he assesses the cost of a biometric passport as accounting for 70 per cent. of the cost of the passport and identity card.

Andy Burnham: The forecast costs of the combination passport and identity card package was published in the regulatory impact assessment document published in 2004. The 70 per cent. assessment is based on forecast average passport costs at the time of introduction of this combined passport and identity card package.

Biometric Information

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many biometric passports have been issued to date; and how many he expects will be issued by October 2006.

Andy Burnham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), through the embassy in Washington, began issuing the first British biometric passports to British nationals in the United States with effect from the week of six February 2006. By 10 February some 200 biometric passports had been issued. SPSL (the UKPS printer and producer of passports) is currently building up biometric passport stock to supply the FCO for its overseas passport issuance programme and for UKPS regional passport office issuance during 2006.
	By October 2006 we estimate that some 3.6 million biometric passports will have been issued. This figure will be subject to actual demand figures and the safe and steady conversion of all production facilities to biometric production.

Cohesion and Faiths Unit

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the new database for the Cohesion and Faiths Unit;
	(2)  how many people have responded to a request for information about (a) their religious belief and (b) whether they are a member of a particular sect or denomination for the new database for the Cohesion and Faiths Unit; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office Cohesion and Faiths Unit is compiling a directory of organisations that it has, or may need to have, contact with. It is intended that the directory will contain contact details. Where the purpose of an organisation is not immediately apparent from its name, it is intended to include, where possible, a brief description of the purpose of the organisation as it describes itself.
	In developing the directory an e-mail was sent on 8 February 2006 requesting details to populate the directory. In error this e-mail was sent to organisations and individuals whom it was not intended for. Clearly personally held religious beliefs are a private matter. Upon realising the mistake an apology was sent on 9 February to all those to whom the request was sent asking them to disregard the request entirely.
	As of 15 February 2006, 13 faith based organisations had responded.

Community Engagement (Policing)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) community police officers and (b) community support officers are working in the Chorley constituency.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally. Information may be available from the local Chief Constable or Basic Command Unit Commander.

Community Legal Service Direct

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual usage of Community Legal Service Direct has been in (a) England and Wales and (b) the London borough of Croydon since its inception.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply 
	(as I have ministerial responsibility for the Legal Services Commission).
	Community Legal Service Direct was launched in July 2004. Total calls to Community Legal Service Direct from England and Wales are shown in table A. The telephone system breaks down the callers by area code. Therefore it is not possible to provide comparable figures for total calls from the London borough of Croydon, as it is not possible to separate them from other 0208 numbers.
	Table B shows the number of cases closed by specialist legal advisors for people living in England and Wales and the London borough of Croydon.
	
		Table A: Total calls to community legal service direct from England and Wales
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2004 (July to December) 114,363 
			 2005 (January to December) 450,535 
		
	
	
		Table B: Total advice cases closed by community legal service direct specialist legal advisors
		
			  Clients lives in England or Wales Client lives in London borough of Croydon 
		
		
			 2004 (July to December) 12,423 58 
			 2005 (January to December) 65,342 370

DNA Profiles

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2890W, on DNA profiles, how many of the 139,463 people were perceived to be (a) of ethnic minority origin and (b) white.

Andy Burnham: As indicated in the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2890W, there were 139,463 people who have a DNA profile on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) who have not been charged or cautioned with an offence. This figure comprised 124,347 people who have been arrested and subsequently not been charged or cautioned with an offence and 15,116 people who had volunteered a sample and given consent to the profile being loaded on the NDNAD.
	Of the 124,347 people who had been arrested, a record of their perceived ethnic origin was available on the NDNAD for 101,066 persons only. In addition, for a further 17,677 persons, the Police National Computer (PNC) held a record of their White or Non-White status. There was no record of perceived minority ethnic origin or White/Non-White status for the remaining 5,604 persons.
	The available data indicates that 21 per cent. were perceived to be of minority ethnic origin, 74 per cent. were perceived to be white and 5 per cent. were unknown. Of the 15,000 persons who had volunteered a DMA sample, 80 per cent. do not have an ethnic appearance recorded, 3 per cent. are recorded as being of minority ethnic origin and 17 per cent. as white.

DNA Profiles

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA profiles of individuals (a) under 24 years and (b) over 24 years not convicted of a criminal offence normally resident in Cambridgeshire are held by Cambridgeshire constabulary.

Andy Burnham: It is estimated that there are 11,324 individuals who are currently under 24 years of age and 22,338 individuals who are 24 years or over who have a DNA profile on the National DNA Database taken by Cambridgeshire police. These individuals would have been arrested, detained in a police station and had a DNA sample taken in Cambridgeshire, but would not necessarily be resident in Cambridgeshire.
	Data on whether these individuals have been convicted of a criminal offence is not held on the National DNA Database. It could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by cross-searching the 33,662 records for the individuals on the Police National Computer (PNC).

Enrolment Centres

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 940W, on enrolment centres, if he will list the criteria that will be used to select (a) the premises in which the interviews over a secure webcam will be conducted and (b) the local administrators who will facilitate the interviews.

Andy Burnham: The answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 940W, referred to the use of secure webcam links as one of the options being considered for areas more than an hour's travelling time from the network of permanent offices for passport interviews. If this option is chosen, detailed criteria to balance the requirements of cost, convenience and security will be developed.

Extraditions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extraditions the Government have (a) requested and (b) granted in each of the last seven years.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Extraditions requested Extraditions granted(24) 
		
		
			 1999 56 38 
			 2000 70 47 
			 2001 82 55 
			 2002 70 53 
			 2003 87 55 
			 2004(25) 33 50 
			 2005(25) 31 62 
		
	
	(24) The term granted has been taken to apply to cases in which extradition has actually taken place.
	(25) The above figures exclude extraditions requested or granted under Part one or Part three of the Extradition Act 2003, which implemented the European Arrest Warrant system on one January 2004. They also exclude extraditions requested or granted to the Republic of Ireland, prior to one January 2004. In all of those cases extraditions have been requested or ordered by judicial authorities rather than by the Government.
	Note:
	The figures do not include requests made or granted by Ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have devolved powers to make or grant requests.

Gating Orders

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gating orders have been made under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, broken down by local authority.

Hazel Blears: No gating orders have been made under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. This provision will be commenced this spring when the regulations have been laid before Parliament.

Home Detention Curfew Scheme

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been released on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme.

Fiona Mactaggart: According to the Prison Service IT system, by 31 December 2005 122,304 prisoners had been released under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme since the scheme began on 28 January 1999.

Identity Cards

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether radio frequency technology will be used in identity cards.

Andy Burnham: It is currently planned that the ID card will be valid for travel within the EEA. As a result, they must comply with standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a branch of the UN. These standards stipulate that a travel document such as an identity card will need to have a proximity chip, which will use radio frequencies to allow the card to be read at very short distances, approximately 0 cm-2 cm from a reader. Thus, one specific kind of radio frequency technology will be used in the proximity chip in the identity card in line with their introduction into passports in many countries in the coming years.
	However, the use of radio frequencies in the identity card should not be confused with other uses of radio frequencies in many different technologies, such as RFID tags. While both use radio frequencies, they use different operating systems, access controls and security requirements. For example, proximity chips include a far higher level of security protection than an RFID tag and can only be read at a very short distance. These differences are reflected in the fact that they operate to different standards set by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
	Furthermore, proximity chips in the identity card will utilise Basic Access Control as a data access protocol in accordance with international standards as well as other cryptographic measures in order to prevent the information on the chip from being modified. In addition, it is planned that further advanced encryption will be utilised to secure biometric information on the chip of the card. This will comply with Extended Access Control standards that are currently under development at an international level.

Life Sentences

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment were released after less than (a) 12 years, (b) eight years and (c) six years in each year since 2000.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following table from the Prison Service IT system provides figures on the numbers of prisoners sentenced to mandatory life sentences released on licence between the years 2000 and 2005.
	
		Prisoners sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment released(26) after (a) 8 years to less than 12 years, (b) 6 years to less than 8 years, and (c) less than 6 years, between 2000 and 2004
		
			 Time band/year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 8 years to less than 12 41 40 37 51 56 42 
			 6 years to less than 8 3 6 7 6 5 4 
			 Less than 6 years 2 3 1 1 1  
		
	
	(26) Figures relate to first releases on licence only

National Youth and Community Service

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2006, Official Report, columns 198283W, on the National Youth and Community Service, what the rationale was for setting up a new charitable company to implement the National Youth and Community Service Scheme.

Hazel Blears: The Russell Commission report on youth action and engagement, published in March 2005, recommended the creation of a new national youth volunteering body, independent of Government. The report provided the Government with four options for the legal form of this body: a non-departmental public body, a company limited by guarantee, a community interest company, or an existing organisation, suitably adapted.
	The Government decided to create a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. This was for three reasons:
	1. The vast majority of the 6,000 young people responding to the Russell Commission consultation commented that a programme run by an organisation independent from Government would be more attractive to them.
	2. Implementation of the scheme is more likely to be successful in an organisation with an exclusive focus. While there are existing voluntary sector bodies with a focus on youth volunteering, they do not individually have the capacity or governance structures to deliver the framework.
	3. Full implementation of the reports recommendations is dependent on securing support from the private sector. Private sector supporters proved more likely to fund an independent charity than a Government scheme.
	It is also important to note that the charitable company will not be delivering the Commission recommendations itself, but will be contracting with existing voluntary and community organisations.

Operation Trident

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Operation Trident in reducing gun crime; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Operation Trident, established London-wide in 1999, has had a significant effect on gun-enabled crime in London. While there have recently been increases in the number of incidents in some boroughs, others such as Tower Hamlets and Southwark have seen reductions (of 13.2 per cent. and 1.8 per cent. respectively in the 12 months to December 2005MPS figures).
	Community support for Trident is a vital component of its success and has been developed via the Independent Advisory Group (IAG), which remains at the heart of Trident strategy. We encourage the development of similar IAGs in other areas as a model of good practice in community engagement.

Passport Applicants (Personal Interviews)

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what calculation was used to arrive at the 19-minute average travelling time for first-time applicants for passports under the new arrangements involving personal interviews at offices; and what estimate he has made of the number of people who would have to travel for (a) less than and (b) more than 19 minutes who live in (i) Argyll and Bute constituency, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the United Kingdom.

Andy Burnham: The calculation of a UK wide travel average utilised the services of a specialist transport and locational analysis company, MVA Ltd. The company accessed Office for National Statistics census population data, and combined this with Department for Transport and other Government transport and travel data. By analysing trends in public and private travel patterns, MVA were able to advise the UK Passport Service on the average journey time for the anticipated catchment populations of each of the 69 proposed passport office locations. The catchment areas of the proposed 69 office locations are derived by determining the nearest convenient office. Therefore catchment areas cross parliamentary constituency and national boundaries so it is not possible, without incurring disproportionate costs, to calculate the average travel times for a specific population group (for example within a constituency) within the UK.
	The choice of the proposed 69 locations was informed by this analysis; the locations chosen balanced the need for ensuring convenience for the customer with the operational efficiency of potential locations given the predicted number of adult first time passport applications within the catchment area. Applicants will be free to choose to be interviewed in any fixed office, enabling them to be interviewed near, for example, their places of employment or study, or to attend an interview in conjunction with travel for social or leisure reasons.
	The arrangements for passport interviews will include, in addition to the network of permanent passport interview offices, different arrangements for people living more than an hour's journey time from one of these offices.

Police Restructuring

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Chief Constable of Kent about police restructuring since the consultation period on police restructuring closed on 23 December 2005; and when he expects the Government's response to the consultation to be completed.

Hazel Blears: The Home Secretary received a business case on police restructuring from the Chief Constable of Kent, Mr. Fuller, and the Chair of the Kent Police Authority, Mrs. Barnes on 23 December 2005.
	The Home Secretary has not had any discussions about the restructuring process with the Chief Constable of Kent. However, Mr. Giffard, Chief Constable of Staffordshire and Programme Director of the restructuring process, met with the Chief Constable of Kent and the Chair of the Kent Police Authority. They have also spoken by telephone and in person on a number of occasions. In addition to this, there has been regular contact between the Kent project team working on restructuring and the Home Office Review Unit supporting the process.
	We recognise that there will be issues that need further discussion and we have been working closely with forces and authorities to resolve these.
	On 6 February the Home Secretary published a written ministerial statement setting out initial findings from the protective services assessments, in relation to five proposed force amalgamations. These amalgamations were identified as the solution able to provide the greatest operational benefit for those areas.
	The remaining forces will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and the final decision will be based on a range of factors, including affordability, organisational resilience and the impact of the changes on other parts of the Criminal Justice System. We expect this analysis to be completed shortly.

Post Office

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services to the public which are provided by his Department are available from the Post Office.

Andy Burnham: Post Office Ltd. provide a passport application check and send service and hold passport applications packs at 2,513 branches on behalf of the UK Passport Service.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) free and (b) payphone telephones are available for remand prisoners in each prison holding remand prisoners in England and Wales.

Fiona Mactaggart: No free telephones are routinely available to prisoners. However, prisoners are permitted, at the discretion of local managers, to make a private call on an official telephone, for example, when a close family member is ill and cannot visit the prisoner. The following table details the location of all telephones within the prison estate provided by British Telecommunications plc under the terms of the prisoner pinphone contract. It is not possible to differentiate those telephones used exclusively by remand prisoners.
	
		Number of prisoner telephones by establishment in England and Wales
		
			 Name of prison Number of phones 
		
		
			 Acklington 36 
			 Albany 24 
			 Altcourse 42 
			 Ashwell 19 
			 Askham Grange 6 
			 Aylesbury 18 
			 Bedford 25 
			 Belmarsh 64 
			 Birmingham 82 
			 Blakenhurst 52 
			 Blantyre House 4 
			 Blundeston 22 
			 Brinsford 28 
			 Bristol 26 
			 Brixton 47 
			 Brockhill 8 
			 Bronzefield 30 
			 Buckley Hall 22 
			 Bullingdon 58 
			 Bullwood Hall 16 
			 Camphill 28 
			 Canterbury 15 
			 Cardiff 30 
			 Castington 16 
			 Channings Wood 21 
			 Chelmsford 34 
			 Coldingley 22 
			 Cookham Wood 11 
			 Dartmoor 26 
			 Deerbolt 20 
			 Doncaster 42 
			 Dorchester 10 
			 Downview 21 
			 Drakehall 16 
			 Durham 43 
			 Edmunds Hill 23 
			 Erlestoke 17 
			 East Sutton Park 4 
			 Eastwood Park 16 
			 Elmley 60 
			 Everthorpe 30 
			 Exeter 32 
			 Featherstone 21 
			 Feltham 33 
			 Ford 35 
			 Forest Bank 40 
			 Foston Hall 14 
			 Frankland 35 
			 Full Sutton 30 
			 Garth 23 
			 Gartree 18 
			 Glen Parva 36 
			 Gloucester 16 
			 Grendon 7 
			 Guys Marsh 22 
			 Haverigg Camp 24 
			 Hewell Grange 6 
			 High Down 39 
			 Highpoint South 37 
			 Hindley 28 
			 Hollesley Bay 12 
			 Holloway 31 
			 Holme House 37 
			 Hull 64 
			 Huntercombe 16 
			 Kingston 8 
			 Kirkham 31 
			 Kirklevington 11 
			 Lancaster Castle 8 
			 Lancaster Farms 26 
			 Latchmere House 7 
			 Leeds 39 
			 Leicester 16 
			 Lewes 24 
			 Leyhill 21 
			 Lincoln 30 
			 Lindholme 48 
			 Littlehey 25 
			 Liverpool 67 
			 Long Lartin 33 
			 Low Newton 18 
			 Maidstone 25 
			 Manchester 48 
			 Moorland 34 
			 Moorland Open 8 
			 Morton Hall 19 
			 The Mount 27 
			 New Hall 26 
			 North Sea Camp 12 
			 Northallerton 7 
			 Norwich 42 
			 Nottingham 37 
			 Onley 28 
			 Parc 58 
			 Parkhurst 21 
			 Pentonville 82 
			 Peterborough 54 
			 Portland 18 
			 Prescoed 7 
			 Preston 45 
			 Ranby 41 
			 Reading 15 
			 Risley 42 
			 Rochester 23 
			 Rye Hill 42 
			 Send 13 
			 Shepton Mallet 12 
			 Shrewsbury 14 
			 Springhill 18 
			 Stafford 28 
			 Stamford Hill 21 
			 Stocken 24 
			 Stoke Heath 20 
			 Styal 28 
			 Sudbury 30 
			 Swaleside 49 
			 Swansea 16 
			 Swinfen Hall 37 
			 Thorn Cross 11 
			 USK 7 
			 Verne 15 
			 Wakefield 26 
			 Wandsworth 60 
			 Warren Hill 14 
			 Wayland 27 
			 Wealstun 53 
			 Wearne  
			 Wellingborough 29 
			 Werrington 9 
			 Wetherby 14 
			 Whatton 13 
			 Whitemoor 34 
			 Winchester 22 
			 Wolds 29 
			 Woodhill 41 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 51 
			 Wymott 34 
			 Total 3,776

Probation Service

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the planned changes to the structure and role of the Probation Service.

Fiona Mactaggart: A consultation on proposals outlined in the paper Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending was held between 20 October and 20 December. A summary of responses and the Government's reply to these will be published in the near future. In addition to the responses submitted to the consultation, Ministers have met and corresponded with a number of key stakeholders.

Public Services (Voluntary Organisations)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what obstacles he has identified to voluntary organisations providing a larger share of public services; what steps he proposes to take to reduce such obstacles; and what his timetable is for this.

Paul Goggins: Obstacles have been identified in Government and other reports. These include:
	Short contracts of less than three years
	A disproportionate sharing of risk
	The lack of full cost recovery
	The absence of pre-payments at the start of a contract
	Disproportionate monitoring and reporting arrangements
	The possibility that the capacity of the smaller organisations is insufficient to meet the potential demand.
	Because of the nature of the voluntary and community sector, these factors can put them at a disadvantage when competing with others for public service contracts. It is the Government's intention to promote a level playing field on which such disadvantages are removed and public services have the opportunity to benefit from the reservoir of experience and skill in the sector.
	Resolving the problem of full cost recovery is a shared issue with the Sector and we will be working closely with it to do so. In the period 200408, the Government are investing 365 million to support capacity building and public service delivery activity within the voluntary and community sector.
	We will publish the details of further plans in due course.

Reconviction Rates

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reconviction rate for adult offenders was in (a) the last period for which figures are available and (b) 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The most recent information on the re-offending of adults, covering those starting community sentences and discharged from prison, was published in December 2005 in 'Adult re-offending: results from the 2002 cohort'. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05. The report is available on line at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb2505.pdf and contains information on progress since 1997 at page 11.

Respect Action Plan

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each local authority will receive for activities for young people under the Respect Action Plan in the next three financial years.

Hazel Blears: The engagement of young people in constructive and purposeful activity that contribute to their communities and divert them away from antisocial behaviour is central to the Respect drive. This was a core theme in the Government's Green Paper, Youth Matters, which set out the commitment to ensure that all young people have access to activities they find interesting.
	As part of this the Youth Green Paper contained proposals for a Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Fund. Extra funding was made available for these in the Chancellor's pre-budget report. A total of 115 million will be available to local authorities over the 200607, 200708 financial years to be spent in ways involving young people on projects to improve local activities and facilities. An average local authority could receive approximately 500,000 over the next two years to make a budget available for projects chosen by young people.
	We will also build on the successful Sports Champions programme and will provide a new investment of 1 million over three years to expand the Sports Mentoring scheme into other areas.

Sex Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners convicted of sexual offences maintained their innocence and refused to participate in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in prison and on probation after their release in each year since 1995; and how many have been convicted of sexual offences after they were released from prison.

Fiona Mactaggart: This information has not been recorded and cannot be collected in retrospect.

Sex Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners convicted of sexual offences participated in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in prison and on probation in each year since 1995; and how many have been convicted of sexual offences after they were released from prison.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is as follows:
	Custody
	The table shows the number of Sex Offender Treatment Programme completions in custody in each financial year since 1995. The percentage of imprisoned sex offenders completing treatment has been calculated by taking the total number of sentenced sex offenders in prison as of 30 June each year. These figures are only available from 2000 onwards.
	Please note that some of the completions refer to second or third treatment programmes. Thus the absolute number of prisoners receiving treatment in a given year is lower than the number of completions.
	HO Research Findings 205 reported an evaluation of prisoners attending the Core SOTP between 1992 and 1996. This study found that 2.6 per cent. of treated sex offenders reconvicted for a further sexual offence compared with 2.8 per cent. of untreated sex offenders over a two-year follow up period. However when further sexual and violent reconvictions were included, 4.6 per cent. of treated sex offenders reconvicted compared with 8.1 per cent. of untreated. There have not been any further evaluations to date.
	Community
	Accredited sex offender treatment programmes were introduced in the Probation Service in 200203. Data on offenders starting treatment are available for 200304 (1,051 starts) and 200405 (981 starts). In 200405 there were 4,767 sex offenders under supervision in the community, 21 per cent. of offenders were participating in accredited treatment programmes reflecting assessments that not all were suitable for the treatment programmes or had conditions of treatment as part of their supervision.
	A reconviction study is not yet available for sex offenders who have completed treatment in the community, as there has been insufficient time for a meaningful follow-up.
	The following table shows the number of Sex Offender Treatment Programme completions in custody in each financial year since 1995. The percentage of imprisoned sex offenders completing treatment has been calculated by taking the total number of sentenced sex offenders in prison as of 30 June each year. These figures are only available from 2000 onwards.
	Please note that some of the completions refer to second or third treatment programmes. Thus the absolute number of prisoners receiving treatment in a given year is lower than the number of completions.
	
		
			  Number of completions Total sentenced SOs Percentage 
		
		
			 199596 439   
			 199697 663   
			 199798 671   
			 199899 589   
			 19992000 585   
			 200001 786 5,090 15.5 
			 200102 839 5,107 16.5 
			 200203 876 5,305 16.5 
			 200304 1,091 5,540 20 
			 200405 1232 5773 21.5

Sex Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is compulsory for individuals convicted of sexual offences who maintain their innocence to participate in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme (a) in prison and (b) on probation.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information is as follows:
	(a) It is not compulsory for sexual offenders in prison to participate in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme.
	(b) Following assessment, sex offenders can be required to undertake treatment as a condition of a Community Rehabilitation Order or as a condition of their release from prison on licence. The degree to which convicted sex offenders accept responsibility for their offence behaviour varies in each case and may change over time, particularly after release from prison. It may be necessary, in the interests of protecting the public, for offenders who maintain their innocence to participate in a treatment programme.

Somalia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British citizens were born in Somalia.

Tony McNulty: As there is no requirement for British citizens born abroad to be registered with the local British consul, and there has been no diplomatic representation in Somalia since 1991, this information is not available.

Special Advisers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether special advisers in his Department receive an IT allowance.

Charles Clarke: Special advisers in the Home Office do not receive any IT allowances.

Street Level Up Programme

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for Class A drug offences through the Street Level Up Programme.

Charles Clarke: It is not possible to allocate specific arrests directly to the Street Level Up Programme rather than to other forms of police activity.

Volunteering

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on voluntary organisations adhering to a code of practice on the status and treatment of long-term volunteers.

Paul Goggins: The Compact, which has provided a framework for the relationship between Government and the voluntary and community sector since 1997 includes a code of practice covering the duties of government and the voluntary sector towards volunteers. This code of practice was updated and republished in autumn 2005, following a 12-week period of consultation.

Wire Tapping

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) he, (b) any UK Minister and (c) any official of the UK Government has authorised any warrantless wiretapping since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Sections three and four of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 set out the limited circumstances where interception of communications is lawful without a warrant. Such interception does not require authorisation by or reporting to Ministers. While in some circumstances officials can authorise such interception, there is no central record of such authorisations.
	All other interception of communications within the UK requires a warrant authorised by a Secretary of State.